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BRICK'S 

-   CHOICE, 

ll  writer 

It  is  intended  to  include  in  the  Series  a  volume  of  anonymous 
poems  from  famous  hands,  to  be  written  especially  for  it. 

The  "  No  Name  Series  "  will  be  issued  at  convenient  inter 
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BOSTON,  Midsummer,  1876. 


•?,$&*    ;      u: 


THE    -NO    NAME    SERIES./ 

What  Is  thought  of  the  Initial  Volume 

of  t IK-  Series, 

"MERCY    PHILBRICK'S    CHOICE." 

"  '  Mercy  Philbrick's  Choice"  reads  rather  like  a  record  than  a  story.  Its  per 
sonages  are  few  in  number  ;  there  is  no  '  sensation,'  almost  no  plot,  yet  it  is  highly 
interesting.  In  saying  this,  we  indicate  a  remarkable  story.  The  stage  properties  of 
a  novel  —  events,  situations,  surprises  —  are  cheap,  and  easy  to  come  by.  It  is  the 
higher  art  which  discards  these,  and  trusts  for  effect  to  truth  and  subtlety  of  character 
drawing."  —  Boston  Transcript. 

"  A  novel  wholly  out  of  the  common  course,  both  in  plot  and  style.  .  .  .  The  moral 
of  the  book  is  wholesome,  —  that  no  good  can  come  from  deceit,  and  that  the  relations 
of  life  and  innocent  love  should  be  frank  and  without  concealment.  Morbidness  works 
only  for  misery,  and  it  is  the  sane  and  sunny  and  sound  people  who  get  the  best  out  of 
this  life."  —  Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

"  '  Mercy  Philbrick's  Choice  *  is  a  story  of  great  power,  great  depth  of  thought  and 
feelinp,  great  tenderness  and  reverence  for  the  truthfulness  of  truth,  and  great  insight 
into  life.  .  .  .  We  dare  place  it  alongside  George  Eliot's  latest  in  point  of  poetic  in 
sight,  vigor,  and  knowledge  of  life,  and  to  say  that  it  is  superior  to  '  Daniel  Deronda  ' 
in  style,  and  informed  by  a  purer  and  deeper  philosophy."  —  Cfiarles  D.  Warner,  in 
the  Hartford  Courant. 

"  It  is  a  pleasure,  in  these  days,  to  get  hold  of  a  new  American  novel  which  mani 
fests  both  culture  and  literary  skill.  The  author  of  '  Mercy  Philbrick's  Choice'  is 
evidently  a  woman  who  looks  upon  authorship  as  something  more  than  a  pastime,  — 
a  woman  of  clear  intelligent  tastes  and  distinct  aspirations.  The  refined  quality  of 
her  intellect  impresses  itself  upon  the  story  from  first  to  last."  —  New  York  Tribune, 

"There  are  many  things  to  be  admired  in  this  novel.  The  artistic  delineation  of 
character  and  the  subtle  rendering  of  the  human  atmosphere  show  a  keen  appreciation 
of  the  delicate  shades  which  make  personality  and  influence  the  life  of  ourselves  and 
others."  —  The  Liberal  Christian. 

"  It  is  a  striking  and  touching  story,  —  this  new  one,  — and  will  be  greatly  read  and 
admired,  as  it  deserves  to  be.  There  is  even  genius  in  some  of  its  touches,  which 
remind  one  of  a  feminine  counterpart  to  Hawthorne.  "  — Springfield  Republican. 

"The  volume  is  interspersed  with  some  of  the  sweetest  poems  to  which  these  latter 
days  have  given  birth,  showing  that  the  author  is  a  master  of  poesy  as  well  as  of  fas 
cinating  fiction."  —  Hartford  Post. 

"  It  is  a  story  of  the  simplest  motives,  but  as  lovely  and  heart-holding  as  a  sweet 
folk-song.  Every  page  is  endearingly  true  to  the  innermost  part  of  humanity,  and  the 
author  transcribes  the  workings  of  hearts  and  minds  with  no  less  faithfulness*  than  she 
(we  insist  that  it  is  a  'she'  )  gives  exquisite  pictures  of  nature  and  the  handiwork 
which  '  fashions  in  silence.'  The  story  is  from  the  pen  of  a  poet,  and  the  inter-current 
verses  are  each  and  all  gems  of  '  ray  serene,'  not  too  flashing,  but  very,  very  appreciable 
to  eyes  which  have  leained  how  to  weep."  —  Boston  Traveller, 

"_Read  the  book,  which  is  fascinating.  The  author  is  certainly  a  woman.  And 
she  is  a  poet,  too,  of  no  mean  powers,  as  is  proved  by  the  half  dozen  short  poems 
in  the  book.  The  sonnet  engraved  on  Mercy's  tombstone  is  not  surpassed  by  any  of 
Wordsworth."—  Troy  Whig. 

"This  book  is  a  novel  only  in  the  sense  that  George  Eliot's  books  are  novels.  The 
story  is  subordinated  to  showing  the  inevitable  working  out  of  opposing  moral  forces. 
The  characters,  well  drawn  as  some  of  them  are,  are  hardly  more  than  dial-pointers  on 
the  clock  of  fate.  Of  dramatic  motive  there  is  more  than  enough."  —  The  Unitarian 
Review. 

In  one  volume,  lOmo.    Cloth.    Gilt  and  red-lettered.    91.00. 

Our  publications  are  to  be  had  of  Booksellers.  When  not  to  be 
found,  send  directly  to 

ROBERTS   BROTHERS,  Publishers,  Boston. 


NO    NAME    SERIES. 


HETTY'S   STRANGE    HISTORY. 


NO    NAME    SERIES. 

"  Is  THE  GENTLEMAN  ANONYMOUS  ?   Is  HE  A  GREAT  UNKNOWN  ? " 

DANIEL  DERONDA. 


HETTY'S 

STRANGE    HISTORY. 

BY  THE 
AUTHOR   OF   "  MERCY  PHILBRICK'S  CHOICE." 


BOSTON: 
ROBERTS  BROTHERS. 

1877. 


Copyright,  1877, 
BY  ROBERTS  BROTHERS. 


What  lover  best  his  love  doth  prove  and  show  f 
The  one  whose  words  are  swiftest,  love  to  state  f 
The  one  who  measures  out  his  love  by  weight 
In  costly  gifts  which  all  men  see  and  know  f 
Nay  /  words  are  cheap  and  easy :  they  may  go 
For  what  men  think  them  worth  :  or  soon  or  late, 
They  are  but  air.     And  gifts  f    Still  cheaper  rate 
Are  they  at  which  men  barter  to  and  fro 
Where  love  is  not ! 

One  thing  remains.     Oh,  Love, 
Thou  hast  so  seldom  seen  it  on  the  earth, 
No  name  for  it  has  ever  sprung  to  birth; 
To  give  one's  own  life  up  one's  love  to  prove, 
Not  in  the  martyr's  death,  but  in  the  dearth 
Of  daily  life's  most  wearing  daily  groove. 

II. 

And  unto  him  who  this  great  thing  hath  done, 
What  does  Great  Love  return  f    No  speedy  joy  ! 
That  swift  delight  which  beareth  large  alloy 
Is  guerdon  Love  bestowed  on  him  who  won 
A  lesser  trust :  the  happiness  begun 
In  happiness,  of  happiness  may  cloy, 
And,  its  own  subtle  foe,  itself  destroy. 
But  steadfast,  tireless,  quenchless  as  the  sun 
Doth  grow  that  gladness  which  hath  root  in  pain. 
Earth's  common  griefs  assail  this  soul  in  vain. 
Great  Love  himself,  too  poor  to  pay  such  debt, 
Doth  borrow  God's  great  peace  which  passeth  yet 
A II  understanding.     Fit II  tenfold  again 
Is  found  the  life,  laid  down  without  regret  I 


1597025 


HETTY'S     STRANGE     HISTORY. 


I. 


AT7HEN  Squire  Gunn  and  his  wife  died, 
*  *  within  three  months  of  each  other,  and 
Hetty  their  only  child  was  left  alone  in  the  big 
farm-house,  everybody  said,  "  Well,  now  Hetty 
Gunn  '11  have  to  make  up  her  mind  to  marry 
somebody."  And  it  certainly  looked  as  if  she 
must.  What  could  be  lonelier  than  the  position 
of  a  woman  thirty-five  years  of  age  sole  possessor 
of  a  great  stone  house,  half  a  dozen  barns  and 
out-buildings,  herds  of  cattle,  and  a  farm  of  five 
hundred  acres  ?  The  place  was  known  as 
"  Gunn's,"  far  and  wide.  It  had  been  a  rich  and 
prosperous  farm  ever  since  the  days  of  the  first 
Squire  Gunn,  Hetty's  grandfather.  He  was  one 
of  Massachusetts'  earliest  militia-men,  and  had  a 
leg  shot  off  at  Lexington.  To  the  old  man's 
dying  day  he  used  to  grow  red  in  the  face  when 
ever  he  told  the  story,  and  bring  his  fist  down 


8  HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

hard  on  the  table,  with  "  Damn  the  leg,  sir  ! 
'Twasn't  the  leg  I  cared  for :  'twas  the  not  hav 
ing  another  chance  at  those  damned  British  ras 
cals  ; "  and  the  wooden  leg  itself  would  twitch 
and  rap  on  the  floor  in  his  impatient  indignation. 
One  of  Hetty's  earliest  recollections  was  of 
being  led'  about  the  farm  by  this  warm-hearted, 
irascible,  old  grandfather,  whose  wooden  leg  was 
a  perpetual  and  unfathomable  mystery  to  her. 
Where  the  flesh  leg  left  off  and  the  wooden  leg 
began,  and  if,  when  the  wooden  leg  stumped  so 
loud  and  hard  on  the  floor,  it  did  not  hurt  the 
flesh  leg  at  the  other  end,  puzzled  little  Hetty's 
head  for  many  a  long  hour.  Her  grandfather's 
frequent  and  comic  references  to  the  honest  old 
wooden  pin  did  not  diminish  her  perplexities. 
He  was  something  of  a  wag,  the  old  Squire  ;  and 
nothing  came  handier  to  him,  in  the  way  of  a 
joke,  than  a  joke  at  his  own  expense.  When 
he  was  eighty  years  old,  he  had  a  stroke  of  paral 
ysis  :  he  lived  six  years  after  that ;  but  he  could 
not  walk  about  the  farm  any  longer.  He  used 
to  sit  in  a  big  cane-bottomed  chair  close  to  the 
fireplace,  in  winter,  and  under  a  big  lilac- 
bush,  at  the  north-east  corner  of  the  house,  in 
summer.  He  kept  a  stout  iron-tipped  cane  by 
his  side :  in  the  winter,  he  used  it  to  poke  the 


HETTY 'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  9 

fire  with ;  in  the  summer,  to  rap  the  hens  and 
chickens  which  he  used  to  lure  round  his  chair 
by  handfuls  of  corn  and  oats.  Sometimes  he 
would  tap  the  end  of  the  wooden  leg  with  this 
cane,  and  say,  laughingly,  "  Ha !  ha  !  think  of  a 
leg  like  that's  being  paralyzed,  if  you  please. 
Isn't  that  a  joke  ?  It  's  just  as  paralyzed  as  the 
other  :  damn  those  British  rascals."  And  only  a 
few  hours  before  he  died,  he  said  to  his  son  : 
"  Look  here,  Abe,  you  put  on  my  grave-stone, 
— '  Here  lies  Abraham  Gunn,  all  but  one  leg.' 
What  do  you  suppose  one-legged  men  're  going 
to  do  in  the  resurrection,  hey,  Abe  ?  I  '11 
ask  the  parson  if  he  comes  in  this  afternoon," 
he  added.  But,  when  the  parson  came,  the 
brave,  merry  eyes  were  shut  for  ever,-  and  the 
old  hero  had  gone  to  a  new  world,  on  which  he 
no  doubt  entered  as  resolutely  and  cheerily  as 
he  had  gone  through  nearly  a  century  of  this. 
These  glimpses  of  the  old  Squire's  characteris 
tics  are  not  out  of  place  here,  although  he  him 
self  has  no  place  in  our  story,  having  been  dead 
and  buried  for  more  than  twenty  years  before 
the  story  begins.  But  he  lived  again  in  his 
granddaughter  Hetty.  How  much  of  her  off 
hand,  comic,  sturdy,  resolute,  disinterested  nature 
came  to  her  by  direct  inheritance  from  his  blood, 


10  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

and  how  much  was  absorbed  as  she  might  have 
absorbed  it  from  any  one  she  loved  and  associ 
ated  with,  it  is  impossible  to  tell.  But  by  one 
process  or  the  other,  or  by  both,  Hetty  Gunn 
was,  as  all  the  country  people  round  about  said, 
"Just  the  old  Squire  over  again,"  and  if  they 
sometimes  added,  as  it  must  be  owned  they 
did,  "  It 's  a  thousand  pities  she  wasn't  a  boy," 
there  was,  in  this  reflection  on  the  Creator,  no 
reflection  on  Hetty's  womanliness  :  it  was  rather 
on  the  accepted  theory  and  sphere  of  woman's 
activities  and  manifestations.  Nobody  in  this 
world  could  have  a  tenderer  heart  than  Hetty : 
this  also  she  had  inherited  or  learned  from  her 
grandfather.  Many  a  day  the  two  had  spent 
together  in  nursing  a  sick  or  maimed  chicken, 
or  a  half-frozen  lamb,  even  a  woodchuck  that  had 
got  its  leg  broken  in  a  trap  was  not  an  outcast 
to  them  ;  and  as  for  beggars  and  tramps,  not 
one  passed  "  Gunn's,"  from  June  till  Octolaer, 
that  was  not  hailed  by  the  old  squire  from  under 
his  lilac-bush,  and  fed  by  Hetty.  Plenty  of 
sarcastic  and  wholesome  advice  the  old  gentle 
man  gave  them,  while  they  sat  on  the  ground 
eating ;  and  every  word  of  it  sank  into  Hetty's 
wide-open  ears  and  sensible  soul,  developing  in 
her  a  very  rare  sort  of  thing  which,  for  want  of 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  II 

a  better  name,  we  might  call  common-sense 
sympathy.  To  this  sturdy  common-sense  bar 
rier  against  the  sentimental  side  of  sympathy 
with  other  people's  sufferings,  Hetty  added  an 
equally  sturdy,  and  she  would  have  said  common- 
sense,  fortitude  in  bearing  her  own.  This  in 
valuable  trait  she  owed  largely  to  her  grand 
father's  wooden  leg.  Before  she  could  speak 
plain,  she  had  already  made  his  cheerful  way 
of  bearing  the  discomfort  and  annoyance  of  that 
queer  leg  her  own  standard  of  patience  and 
equanimity.  Nothing  that  ever  happened  to  her, 
no  pain,  no  deprivation,  seemed  half  so  dreadful 
as  a  wooden  leg.  She  used  to  stretch  out  her 
own  fat,  chubby,  little  legs,  and  look  from  them 
to  her  grandfather's.  Then  she  would  timidly 
touch  the  wooden  tip  which  rested  on  the  floor, 
and  look  up  in  her  grandfather's  face,  and  say, 
"  Poor  Grandpa  !  " 

"  Pshaw!  pshaw !  child,"  he  would  reply,  "that's 
nothing.  It  does  almost  as  well  to  walk  on,  and 
that 's  all  legs  are  for.  I  'd  have  had  forty  legs 
shot  off  rather  than  not  have  helped  drive  out 
those  damned  British  rascals." 

Not  even  for  sake  of  Hetty's  young  ears 
could  the  old  Squire  mention  the  British  rascals 
without  his  favorite  expletive.  Here,  also,  came 


12  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

in  another  lesson  which  sank  deep  into  Hetty's 
heart.  It  was  for  his  country  that  her  grand 
father  had  lost  that  leg,  and  would  have  gladly 
lost  forty,  if  he  had  had  so  many  to  lose,  not  for . 
himself;  for  something  which  he  loved  better 
than  himself :  this  was  distinct  in  Hetty  Gunn's 
comprehension  before  she  was  twelve  years  old, 
and  it  was  a  most  important  force  in  the  growth 
of  her  nature.  No  one  can  estimate  the  results 
on  a  character  of  these  slow  absorptions,  these 
unconscious  biases,  from  daily  contact.  All  pre 
cepts,  all  religions,  are  insignificant  agencies  by 
their  side.  They  are  like  sun  and  soil  to  a 
plant :  they  make  a  moral  climate  in  which 
certain  things  are  sure  to  grow,  and  certain 
other  things  are  sure  to  die ;  as  sure  as  it  is 
that  orchids  and  pineapples  thrive  in  the  tropics, 
and  would  die  in  New  England. 

When  old  Squire  Gunn  was  buried,  all  the 
villages  within  twenty  miles  turned  out  to  his 
funeral.  He  was  the  last  revolutionary  hero  of 
the  county.  An  oration  was  delivered  in  the 
meeting-house  ;  and  the  brass  band  of  Welbury 
played  "My  country,  'tis  of  thee,"  all  the  way 
from  the  meeting-house  to  the  graveyard  gate. 
After  the  grave  was  filled  up,  guns  were  fired 
above  it,  and  the  Welbury  village  choir  sang  an 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  13 

anthem.  The  crowd,  the  music,  the  firing  of 
guns,  produced  an  ineffaceable  impression  upon 
Hetty's  mind.  While  her  grandfather's  body 
lay  in  the  house,  she  had  wept  inconsolably. 
But  as  soon  as  the  funeral  services  began,  her 
tears  stopped ;  her  eyes  grew  large  and  bright 
with  excitement ;  she  held  her  head  erect  ;  a 
noble  exaltation  and  pride  shone  on  her  feat 
ures  ;  she  gazed  upon  the  faces  of  the  people 
with  a  composure  and  dignity  which  were  un- 
childlike.  No  emperor's  daughter  in  Rome 
could  have  borne  herself,  at  the  burial  of  her 
most  illustrious  ancestor,  more  grandly  and  yet 
more  modestly  than  did  little  Hetty  Gunn,  aged 
twelve,  at  the  burial  of  this  unfamed  Massachu 
setts  revolutionary  soldier :  and  well  she  might ; 
for  a  greater  than  royal  inheritance  had  come  to 
her  from  him.  The  echoes  of  the  farewell  shots 
which  were  fired  over  the  old  man's  grave  were 
never  to  die  out  of  Hetty's  ears.  Child,  girl, 
woman,  she  was  to  hear  them  always :  signal 
guns  of  her  life,  they  meant  courage,  cheerful 
ness,  self-sacrifice. 

Of  Hetty's  father,  the  "young  Squire,"  as  to 
the  day  of  his  death  he  was  called  by  the  older 
people  in  Welbury,  and  of  Hetty's  mother,  his 
wife,  it  is  not  needful  to  say  much  here.  The 


14  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

young  Squire  was  a  lazy,  affectionate  man  to 
whom  the  good  things  of  life  had  come  without 
his  taking  any  trouble  for  them :  even  his  wife 
had  been  more  than  half  wooed  for  him  by  his 
doting  father ;  and  there  were  those  who  said 
that  pretty  Mrs.  Gunn  had  been  quite  as  much 
in  love  with  the  old  Squire,  old  as  he  was,  as 
with  the  young  one  ;  but  that  was  only  an  idle 
village  sneer.  The  young  Squire  and  his  wife 
loved  each  other  devotedly,  and  their  only  child, 
Hetty,  with  an  unreasoning  and  unreasonable 
affection  which  would  have  been  the  ruin  of  her, 
if  she  had  been  any  thing  else  but  what  she  was, 
"  the  old  Squire  over  again."  As  it  was,  the 
only  effect  of  this  overweening  affection,  on  their 
part,  was  to  produce  a  slow  reversal  of  some  of 
the  ordinary  relations  between  parents  and  chil 
dren.  As  Hetty  grew  into  womanhood,  she 
grew  more  and  more  to  have  a  sense  of  respon 
sibility  for  her  father's  and  mother's  happiness. 
She  was  the  most  filially  docile  of  creatures,  and 
obeyed  like  a  baby,  grown  woman  as  she  was.  It 
was  strange  to  hear  and  to  see. 

"  Hetty,  bring  me  my  overcoat,"  her  father 
would  say  to  her  in  her  thirty-fifth  year,  exactly 
as  he  would  have  said  it  in  her  twelfth  ;  and  she 
would  spring  with  the  same  alacrity  and  the 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  15 

same  look  of  pleasure  at  being  of  use.  But 
there  was  a  filial  service  which  she  rendered 
to  her  parents  much  deeper  than  these  sur 
face  obediences  and  attentions.  They  were 
but  dimly  conscious  of  it ;  and  yet,  had  it  been 
taken  away  from  them,  they  had  found  their  lives 
blighted  indeed.  She  was  the  link  between 
them  and  the  outside  world.  She  brought  mer 
riment,  cheer,  hearty  friendliness  into  the  house. 
She  was  the  good  comrade  of  every  young 
woman  and  every  young  man  in  Welbury  ;  and 
she  compelled  them  all  to  bring  a  certain  half- 
filial  affection  and  attention  to  her  father  and 
mother.  The  best  tribute  to  what  she  had  ac 
complished  in  this  direction  was  in  the  fact, 
that  you  always  heard  the  young  people  mention 
Squire  Gunn  and  his  wife  as  "  Hetty  Gunn's 
father "  or  "  Hetty  Gunn's  mother ; "  and  the 
two  old  people  were  seen  at  many  a  gathering 
where  there  was  not  a  single  old  face  but  theirs. 

"Hetty  won't  go  without  her  father  and 
mother,"  or  "  Hetty  '11  be  so  pleased  if  we  ask 
her  father  and  mother,"  was  frequently  heard. 
From  this  free  and  unembarrassed  association  of 
the  old  and  the  young,  grew  many  excellent 
things.  In  this  wholesome  atmosphere  honesty 
and  good  behavior  thrived  ;  but  there  was  little 


1 6  HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

chance  for  the  development  of  those  secret  sen 
timental  preferences  and  susceptibilities  out  of 
which  spring  love-making  and  thoughts  of  mar 
riage. 

There  probably  was  not  a  marriageable  young 
man  in  Welbury  who  had  not  at  one  time  or  an 
other  thought  to  himself,  what  a  good  thing  it 
would  be  to  marry  Hetty  Gunn.  Hetty  was 
pretty,  sensible,  affectionate,  and  rich.  Such 
girls  as  that  were  not  to  be  found  every  day. 
A  man  might  look  far  and  long  before  he  could 
find  such  a  wife  as  Hetty  would  make.  But 
nothing  seemed  to  be  farther  from  Hetty's 
thoughts  than  making  a  wife  of  herself  for  any 
body.  And  the  world  may  say  what  it  pleases 
about  its  being  the  exclusive  province  of  men  to 
woo  :  very  few  men  do  woo  a  woman  who  does 
not  show  herself  ready  to  be  wooed.  It  is  a  rare 
beauty  or  a  rare  spell  of  some  sort  which  can 
draw  a  man  past  the  barrier  of  a  woman's  hon 
est,  unaffected,  and  persistent  unconsciousness  of 
any  thoughts  of  love  or  matrimony.  So  between 
Hetty's  unconsciousness  and  her  perpetual  com 
radeship  with  her  father  and  mother,  the  years 
went  on,  and  on,  and  no  man  asked  Hetty  to 
marry  him.  The  odd  thing  about  it  was  that 
every  man  felt  sure  that  he  was  the  only  man 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  I/ 

who  had  not  asked  her ;  and  a  general  impres 
sion  had  grown  up  in  the  town  that  Hetty  Gunn 
had  refused  nearly  everybody.  She  was  so  evi 
dently  a  favorite;  "Gunn's"  was  so  much  the 
headquarters  for  all  the  young  people ;  it  was  so 
open  to  everybody's  observation  how  much  all 
men  admired  and  liked  Hetty,  —  she  was  never 
seen  anywhere  without  one  or  two  or  three  at 
her  service  :  it  was  the  most  natural  thing  in  the 
world  for  people  to  think  as  they  did.  Yet  not  a 
human  being  ever  accused  Hetty  of  flirting  ;  her 
manner  was  always  as  open,  friendly,  and  cor 
dial  as  an  honest  boy's,  and  with  no  more  trace  of 
self-seeking  or  self-consciousness  about  it.  She 
was  as  full  of  fun  and  mischief,  too,  as  any  boy 
could  be.  She  had  slid  down  hill  with  the  wild 
est  of  them,  till  even  her  father  said  sternly,  — 

"Hetty,  —  you're  too  big.  It's  a  shameful 
sight  to  see  a  girl  of  your  size,  out  on  a  sled  with 
boys."  And  Hetty  hung  her  head,  and  said 
pathetically,  — 

"  I  wish  I  hadn't  grown.  I  'd  rather  be  a 
dwarf,  than  not  slide  down  hill." 

But  after  the  sliding  was  forbidden,  there  re 
mained  the  chestnuttings  in  the  autumn,  and  the 
trout  fishings  in  the  summer,  and  the  Mayflower 
parties  in  the  spring,  and  colts  and  horses  and 


1 8  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

dogs.  Until  Hetty  was  twenty-two  years  old, 
you  might  have  been  quite  sure  that,  when 
ever  you  found  her  in  any  out-door  party,  the 
masculine  element  was  largely  predominant  in 
that  party.  After  this  time,  however,  life  gradu 
ally  sobered  for  Hetty :  one  by  one  her  friends 
married ';  the  maidens  became  matrons,  the  young 
men  became  heads  of  houses.  In  wedding  after 
wedding,  Hetty  Gunn  was  the  prettiest  of  the 
bridesmaids,  and  people  whispered  as  they 
watched  her  merry,  kindly  face,  — 

"Ain't  it  the  queerest  thing  in  life,  Hetty 
Gunn  won't  marry.  There  isn't  a  fellow  in 
town  she  mightn't  have." 

If  anybody  had  said  this  to  Hetty  herself,  she 
would  probably  have  laughed,  and  said  with  en 
tire  frankness,  — 

"  You  're  quite  mistaken.  They  don't  want 
me,"  which  would  only  have  strengthened  her 
hearers'  previous  impressions  that  they  did. 

In  process  of  time,  after  the  weddings  came 
the  christenings,  and  at  these  also  Hetty  Gunn 
was  still  the  favorite  friend,  the  desired  guest. 
Presently,  there  came  to  be  so  many  little  Hetty 
Gunns  in  the  village,  that  no  young  mother  had 
courage  to  use  the  name  more,  however  much  she 
loved  Hetty.  Hetty  used  to  say  laughingly  that  it 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  19 

was  well  she  was  an  only  child,  for  she  had  now 
more  nieces  and  nephews  than  she  knew  what 
to  do  with.  Very  dearly  she  loved  them  all ;  and 
the  little  things  all  loved  her,  the  instant  she  put 
her  arms  round  them  :  and  more  than  one  young 
husband,  without  meaning  to  be  in  the  least  dis 
loyal  to  his  wife,  thought  to  himself,  when  he 
saw  his  baby's  face  nestling  down  to  Hetty 
Gunn's  brown  curls,  — 

"  I  wonder  if  she  'd  have  had  me,  if  J  'd  asked 
her.  But  I  don't  believe  Hetty  '11  ever  marry, 
—  a  girl  that's  had  the  offers  she  has." 

And  so  it  had  come  to  pass  that,  at  the  time 
our  story  begins,  Hetty  was  thirty-five  years  old, 
and  singularly  alone  in  the  world.  The  death  of 
her  mother,  which  had  occurred  first,  was  a 
great  shock  to  her,  for  it  had  been  a  sudden  and 
a  painful  death.  But  the  loss  of  her  mother  was 
to  Hetty  a  trivial  one,  in  comparison  with  the  loss 
of  her  father.  On  the  day  of  her  grandfather's 
death,  she  had  seemed,  child  as  she  was,  to  have 
received  her  father  into  her  hands,  as  a  sacred 
legacy  of  trust ;  and  he,  on  his  part,  seemed  fully 
to  reciprocate  and  accept  without  comprehend 
ing  the  new  relation.  He  unconsciously  leaned 
upon  Hetty  more  and  more  from  that  hour  until 
the  hour  when  he  died,  bolstered  up  in  bed  with 


20  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

his  head  on  her  shoulder,  and  gasping  out,  between 
difficult  breaths,  his  words  of  farewell,  —  strange 
farewell  to  be  spoken  to  a  middle-aged  woman, 
whose  hair  was  already  streaked  with  gray,  — 

"  Poor  little  girl !  I  've  got  to  leave  you. 
You  've  been  a  good  little  girl,  Hetty,  a  good 
little  girl." 

Neighbors  and  friends  crowded  around  Hetty,  in 
the  first  moments  of  her  grief.  But  they  all,  even 
those  nearest  and  most  intimate,  found  them 
selves  bewildered  and  baffled,  nay  almost  repelled, 
by  Hetty's  manner.  Her  noble  face  was  so  grief- 
stricken  that  she  looked  years  older  in  a  single 
day.  But  her  voice  and  her  smile  were  unaltered  ; 
and  she  would  not  listen  to  any  words  of  sym 
pathy.  She  wished  to  hear  no  allusions  to  her 
trouble,  except  such  as  were  needfully  made  in 
the  arranging  of  practical  points.  Her  eyes 
filled  with  tears  frequently,  but  no  one  saw  a 
tear  fall.  At  the  funeral,  her  face  wore  much 
the  same  look  it  had  worn,  twenty-three  years 
before,  at  her  grandfather's  funeral.  There  were 
some  present  who  remembered  that  day  well, 
and  remembered  the  look,  and  they  said  mus 
ingly,  — 

"  There  's  something  very  queer  about  Hetty 
Gunn,   after    all.      Don't    you    remember    how 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  21 

she  acted,  when  she  was  a  little  thing,  the  day 
old  Squire  Gunn  was  buried  ?  Anybody  'd 
have  thought  then  a  funeral  was  Fourth  of 
July,  and  she  looks  much  the  same  way  now." 

Then  they  fell  to  discussing  the  probabilities 
of  her  future  course.  It  was  not  easy  to  predict. 

"The  Squire  's  left  every  thing  to  her,  just  as 
if  she  was  a  man.  She  can  sell  the  property 
right  off,  if  she  wants  to,  and  go  and  live  where 
she  likes,"  they  said. 

"Well,  you  may  set  your  minds  to  rest  on 
that,"  said  old  Deacon  Little,  who  had  been  the 
young  squire's  most  intimate  friend,  and  who 
knew  Hetty  as  well  as  if  she  were  his  own  child, 
and  loved  her  better ;  for  his  own  children,  poor 
man,  had  nearly  brought  his  gray  hairs  down  to 
the  grave  with  distress  and  shame. 

"  Hetty  Gunn  '11  never  sell  that  farm,  not  a 
stick  nor  a  stone  on't,  any  more  than  the  old 
Squire  himself  would.  You  '11  see,  she  '11  keep  it 
a  goin',  jest  the  same  's  ever.  It  's  a  thousand 
pities,  she  warn't  born  a  boy." 


22  HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 


II. 


HT^HE  funeral  took  place  late  in  the  afternoon 
of  a  warm  April  day.  The  roads  were 
very  muddy,  and  the  long  procession  wound 
back  to  the  village  about  as  slowly  as  it  had 
gone  out.  One  by  one,  wagon  after  wagon  fell 
out  of  the  line,  and  turned  off  to  the  right  or 
left,  until  there  were  left  only  the  Gunns'  big 
carryall,  in  which  sat  Hetty,  with  her  two  house- 
servants,  —  an  old  black  man  and  his  wife,  who 
had  been  in  her  father's  house  so  long,  that  their 
original  patronymic  had  fallen  entirely  out  of 
use,  and  they  were  known  as  "  Caesar  Gunn  " 
and  "  Nan  Gunn  "  the  town  over.  Behind  this 
followed  their  farm  wagon,  in  which  sat  the 
farmer  and  his  wife  with  their  babies,  and  the 
two  farm  laborers,  —  all  Irish,  and  all  crying  au 
dibly  after  the  fashion  of  their  race.  As  they 
turned  into  the  long  avenue  of  pines  which  led 
up  to  the  house,  their  grief  broke  out  louder  and 
louder ;  and,  when  the  wagon  stopped  in  front  of 
the  western  piazza,  their  sobs  and  cries  became 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  2$ 

howls  and  shrieks.  Hetty,  who  was  just  enter 
ing  the  front-door,  turned  suddenly,  and  walking 
swiftly  toward  them,  said,  in  a  clear  firm  tone, — 

"  Look  here !  Mike,  Dan,  Norah,  I  'm  ashamed 
of  you.  Don't  you  see  you're  frightening  the 
poor  little  children  ?  Be  quiet.  The  one  who  loved 
my  father  most  will  be  the  first  one  to  go  about 
his  work  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  Mike, 
saddle  the  pony  for  me  at  six.  I  am  going  to 
ride  over  to  Deacon  Little's." 

The  men  were  too  astonished  to  reply,  but 
gazed  at  her  dumbly.  Mike  muttered  sullenly, 
as  he  drove  on,  — 

"  An'  it 's  a  quare  way  to  be  showin'  our  love, 
I  'm  thinkin'." 

"An'  it's  Miss  Hetty's  own  way  thin,  by 
Jasus!"  answered  Dan;  "an"  I'd  jist  loike  to 
see  the  man  'ud  say,  she  didn't  fairly  worship 
the  very  futsteps  of  'im." 

When  Deacon  Little  heard  Hetty  Gunn's 
voice  at  His  door  that  night,  the  old  man  sprang 
to  his  feet  as  he  had  not  sprung  for  twenty  years. 

"  Bless  my  soul !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  what  can 
have  brought  Hetty  Gunn  here  to-night  ? "  and 
he  met  her  in  the  hall  with  outstretched  hands. 

"  Hetty,  my  dear,  what  is  it  ? "  he  exclaimed, 
in  a  tone  of  anxiety. 


24  HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  Oh  ! "  said  Hetty,  earnestly.  "  I  have  fright 
ened  you,  haven't  I  ?  was  it  wrong  for  me  to 
come  to-night?  There  are  so  many  things  I 
want  to  talk  over  with  you.  I  want  to  get 
settled ;  and  all  the  work  on  the  farm  is  belated  : 
and  I  can't  have  the  place  run  behindhand  ;  that 
would  worry  father  so." 

The  tears  stood  in  her  eyes,  but  she  spoke  in 
as  matter-of-course  a  tone  as  if  she  had  simply 
come  as  her  father's  messenger  to  ask  advice. 
The  old  deacon  pushed  his  spectacles  high  upon 
his  forehead,  and,  throwing  his  head  back,  looked 
at  Hetty  a  moment,  scrutinizingly,  in  silence. 
Then,  he  said,  half  to  himself,  half  to  her,  — 

"  You  're  your  grandfather  all  over,  Hetty. 
Now  let  me  know  what  I  can  help  you  about. 
You  can  always  come  to  me,  as  long  as  I  'm  alive, 
Hetty.  You  know  that.  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty,  walking  back  and  forth 
in  the  little  room,  rapidly.  "  You  are  the  only 
person  I  shall  ever  ask  any  thing  of  in  that 
way." 

"  Sit  down,  Hetty,  sit  down,"  said  the  old  man. 
"  You  must  be  all  worn  out." 

"  Oh,  no !  I  'm  not  tired  :  I  was  never  tired  in 
my  life,"  replied  Hetty.  "  Let  me  walk :  it  does 
me  good  to  walk  ;  I  walked  nearly  all  last  night ; 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  2$ 

it  seems  to  be  something  to  do.  You  see,  Mr. 
Little,"  she  said,  —  pausing  suddenly,  and  folding 
her  arms  on  her  breast,  as  she  looked  at  him,  — 
"  I  don't  quite  see  my  way  clear  yet ;  and  one 
must  see  one's  way  clear  before  one  can  be  quiet. 
It 's  horrible  to  grope." 

"  Yes,  yes,  child,"  said  the  deacon,  hesitatingly. 
He  did  not  understand  metaphor.  "  You  are 
not  thinking  of  going  away,  are  you,  Hetty  ? " 

"  Going  away  !  "  exclaimed  Hetty.  "  Why, 
what  do  you  mean  ?  How  could  I  go  away  ?  Be 
sides,  I  wouldn't  go  for  any  thing  in  the  world. 
What  should  I  go  away  for  ? " 

"  Well,  I  'm  real  glad  to  hear  you  say  so, 
Hetty,"  replied  the  deacon  warmly  ;  "  some  folks 
have  said,  you  'd  most  likely  sell  the  farm,  and 
go  away." 

"  What  fools  !  I  'd  as  soon  sell  myself,"  said 
Hetty,  curtly.  "  But  I  can't  live  there  all  alone. 
And  one  thing  I  wanted  to  ask  you  about  to 
night  was,  whether  you  thought  it  would  do  for 
your  James  and  his  wife  to  come  and  live  there 
with  me :  I  would  give  him  a  good  salary  as  a 
sort  of  overseer.  Of  course,  I  should  expect  to 
control  every  thing  ;  and  that 's  not  much  more 
than  I  have  done  for  three  or  four  years  :  but 
the  men  will  do  better  with  a  man  to  give  them 


26  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

their  orders,  than  they  will  with  me  alone.  I 
could  do  this  better  with  Jim  than  I  could  with 
a  stranger.  I  've  always  liked  Jim." 

Deacon  Little  did  not  reply.  His  eyes  were 
fixed  on  the  ground,  and  his  face  flushed  with 
agitation.  At  last  he  said  huskily,  — 

"  Would  you  really  take  Jim  and  Sally  home 
to  your  house,  to  live  with  you,  Hetty  ? " 

"Why,  certainly,"  replied  Hetty,  in  an  impa 
tient  tone,  "  that 's  what  I  said :  didn't  I  make  it 
plain  ? "  and  she  walked  faster  and  faster  back 
and  forth. 

"  Hetty,  you  're  an  angel,"  exclaimed  the  old 
man,  solemnly.  "  If  there  's  any  thing  that  could 
make  him  hold  up  his  head  again,  it  would  be 
just  that  thing.  "But  —  "  he  hesitated,  "you 
know  Sally?" 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  know  her.  I  know  all  about  her. 
She's  a  poor,  weak  thing,"  said  Hetty,  with  no 
shade  of  tenderness  in  her  voice  ;  "but  Jim  was 
the  most  to  blame,  and  it 's  abominable  the  way 
people  have  treated  her.  I  always  wished  I 
could  do  something  for  them  both,  and  now  I  've 
got  the  chance :  that  is  if  you  think  they  'd  like 
to  come." 

The  deacon  hesitated  .again,  began  to  speak, 
broke  off,  hesitated,  tried  again,  and  at  last 
stammered  :  — 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  2/ 

"  Don't  think  I  don't  feel  your  kindness, 
Hetty ;  but,  low 's  Jim 's  fallen,  I  don't  quite 
feel  like  having  them  go  into  anybody's  kitchen, 
especially  with  black  help." 

"Kitchen!"  interrupted  Hetty.  "What  do 
you  take  me  for,  Deacon  Little  ?  If  Jim  comes 
to  live  with  me  as  my  overseer,  he  is  just  the 
same  as  my  partner  in  the  place,  so  far  as  his 
position  goes.  How  do  you  suppose  I  thought 
that  the  men  would  respect  him,  and  take  orders 
from  him,  if  I  meant  to  put  him  in  the  kitchen 
•with  Caesar  and  Nan  ?  No  indeed,  they  shall 
live  with  me  as  if  they  were  my  brother  and 
sister.  There  are  plenty  of  rooms  in  the  house 
for  them  to  have  their  own  sitting-room,  and  be 
by  themselves  as  much  as  they  like.  Kitchen 
indeed !  I  think  you  've  forgotten  that  Jim  and 
I  were  schoolmates  from  the  time  we  were  six 
till  we  were  twenty.  I  always  liked  Jim,  and 
he  hasn't  had  half  a  chance  yet :  that  miserable 
affair  pulled  him  down  when  he  was  so  young." 

"  That 's  so,  Hetty ;  that 's  so,"  said  the 
deacon,  with  tears  rolling  down  his  wrinkled 
cheeks.  "  Jim  wasn't  a  bad  boy.  He  never 
meant  to  harm  anybody,  and  he  hasn't 
had  any  chance  at  all  since  that  happened.  It 
seems  as  if  it  took  all  the  spirit  right  out 


28  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

of  him ;  and  Sally,  she  hasn't  got  any  spirit 
either :  she  's  been  nothin'  but  a  millstone 
round  his  neck.  It 's  a  mercy  the  baby  died  : 
that 's  one  thing." 

"I  don't  think  so  at  all,  Mr.  Little,"  said 
Hetty,  vehemently.  "I  think  if  the  baby  had 
lived,  it  would  have  strengthened  them  both. 
It  would  have  made  Sally  much  happier,  at  any 
rate.  She  is  a  motherly  little  thing." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  old  man,  reluctantly.  "  Sally 's 
affectionate  ;  I  won't  deny  that :  but "  —  and  an 
expression  of  exceeding  bitterness  passed  over 
his  face — "I  wish  to  the  Lord  I  needn't  ever 
lay  my  eyes  on  her  face  again!  I  can't  feel 
right  towards  her,  and  I  don't  suppose  I  ever 
shall." 

"  I  wouldn't  wonder  if  the  time  came  when 
she  was  a  real  comfort  to  you,  Mr.  Little,"  said 
Hetty,  cheerily.  "You  get  them  to  come  and 
live  with  me  and  see  what  that  '11  do.  I  can 
afford  to  give  Jim  more  than  he  can  make  at 
surveying.  I  have  a  notion  he  's  a  better  farmer 
than  he  is  engineer,  isn't  he  ?  " 

"Yes,  there's  nothing  Jim  don't  know  about 
a  farm.  I  always  did  hope  he  'd  settle  down  here 
at  home  with  us.  But  we  couldn't  have  Sally 
in  the  house:  it  would  have  killed  Mrs.  Little. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  29 

It  gives  her  a  day's  nervous  headache  now, 
long  ago 's  'tis,  whenever  she  sees  her  on  the 
street." 

"Well,  well,"  said  Hetty,  impatiently,  "she 
won't  give  anybody  nervous  headaches  in  my 
house,  poor  little  soul,  that 's  certain  ;  and  the 
sooner  they  can  come  the  better  I  shall  like  it. 
So  you  will  arrange  it  all  for  me  at  once,  won't 
you  ? " 

Then  Hetty  went  on  to  speak  of  some  matters 
in  regard  to  the  farm  about  which  she  was  in 
doubt,  —  as  to  certain  fields,  and  crops,  and  what 
should  be  done  with  the  young  stock  from  last 
year.  Presently  the  old  clock  in  the  hall  struck 
nine,  and  the  village  bells  began  to  ring. 

Hetty  sprang  to  her  feet. 

"  Dear  me  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  I  had  no  idea  it 
was  so  late.  I  only  meant  to  stay  an  hour.  Nan 
will  be  frightened  about  me."  And  she  was  out 
of  the  house  and  on  her  pony's  back  almost 
before  Deacon  Little  could  say,  — 

"But,  Hetty,  ain't  you  afraid  to  go  home  by 
yourself.  I  can  go  with  you  's  well 's  not." 

"  Bless  me,  no  !  "  said  Hetty.  "  I  always  ride 
alone.  Polly  knows  the  road  as  well  as  I  do  ; " 
and  she  cantered  off,  saying  cheerily,  "  Good 
night,  deacon,  I  can't  tell  you  how  much  I  'm 


30  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

obliged  to  you.  Please  see  Jim 's  early 's  you 
can  to-morrow :  I  want  to  get  settled  and  begin 
work." 

When  Hetty  reached  home,  the  house  was 
silent  and  dark :  only  one  feeble  light  glimmered 
in  the  hall.  As  she  threw  open  the  door,  old 
Caesar  and  Nan  rushed  forward  together  from 
the  kitchen,  exclaiming,  half  sobbing,  — 

"Oh,  Miss  Hetty!  Miss  Hetty!  we  made  sure 
you  was  killed." 

"  Nonsense,  Nan ! "  said  Hetty,  goodnatur- 
edly  :  "  what  put  such  an  idea  into  your  head  ? 
Haven't  I  ridden  Polly  many  a  darker  night 
than  this?" 

"Yes'm,"  sobbed  Nan;  "but  to-night's  differ 
ent.  All  our  luck's  gone  :  'When  the  master's 
dead,  the  house  is  shook,'  they  say  where  I  was 
raised.  Oh,  Miss  Hetty  !  it 's  lonesome 's  death 
in  the  kitchen." 

Hetty  threw  open  the  door  into  the  sitting- 
room.  "  Put  on  a  stick  of  wood,  Nan,  and  make 
the  fire  blaze  up,"  she  said. 

While  Nan  was  doing  this,  Hetty  lighted  the 
lamps,  drew  down  the  curtains,  and  gave  the 
room  its  ordinary  evening  look.  Then  she 
said,  — 

"  Now,   Nan,  sit  down :  I  want  to  talk  with 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  31 

you,"  and  Hetty  herself  sat  down  in  her  father's 
chair  on  the  right  Hand  of  the  fireplace. 

"  Oh,  Miss  Hetty !  "  cried  Nan,  "  don't  you  go 
set  in  that  chair  :  you  '11  die  before  the  year 's  out 
if  you  do.  Oh  please,  Miss  Hetty !  get  right  up  ;" 
and  the  poor  old  woman  took  forcible  hold  of  her 
young  mistress's  arms,  and  tried  to  lift  her  from 
the  chair. 

"  To  please  you,  I  will  sit  in  another  chair 
now,  Nan,  because  I  want  you  to  be  quiet  and 
listen  to  me.  But  that  will  be  my  chair  to  sit  in 
always,  just  as  it  used  to  be  my  father's  ;  and 
I  shall  not  die  before  the  year  's  out,  Nan,  nor  I 
hope  for  a  great  many  years  to  come  yet,"  said 
Hetty. 

"  Oh,  no !  please  the  Lord,  Miss  Hetty," 
sobbed  Nan  :  "  who  'd  take  care  of  Caesar  an'  me 
ef  you  was  to  die." 

"  But  I  expect  you  and  Caesar  to  take  care  of 
me,  Nan,"  replied  Hetty,  smiling,  "  and  I  want  to 
have  a  good  talk  with  you  now,  and  make  you 
understand  about  our  life  here.  You  want  to 
please  me,  don't  you,  Nan  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  !  Miss  Hetty.  You  knows  I  do,  and 
so  does  Caesar.  We  wouldn't  have  no  other 
missus,  not  in  all  these  Norf  States  :  we  'd  sooner 
go  back  down  where  we  was  raised." 


32  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

Hetty  smiled  involuntarily  at  this  violent 
comparison,  knowing  well  that  both  Caesar  and 
Nan  would  have  died  sooner  than  go  back  to 
the  land  where  they  were  "  raised."  But  she 
went  on, — 

"  Very  well.  You  never  need  have  any  other 
mistress  as  long  as  I  live :  and  when  I  die  you 
and  Caesar  will  have  money  enough  to  make  you 
comfortable,  and  a  nice  little  house.  Now  the 
first  thing  I  want  you  to  understand  is  that  we 
are  going  to  live  on  here  in  this  house,  exactly 
as  we  did  when  my  father  was  here.  I  shall 
carry  on  the  farm  exactly  as  he  would  if  he 
were  alive  ;  that  is,  as  nearly  as  I  can.  Now 
you  will  make  it  very  hard  for  me,  if  you  cry  and 
are  lonesome,  and  say  such  things  as  you  said 
to-night.  If  you  want  to  please  me,  you  will  go 
right  on  with  your  work  cheerfully,  and  behave 
just  as  if  your  master  were  sitting  there  in  his 
chair  all  the  time.  That  is  what  will  please 
him  best,  too,  if  he  is  looking  on,  as  I  don't  doubt 
he  very  often  will  be." 

"  But  is  you  goin'  to  be  here  all  alone,  Miss 
Hetty  ?  yer  don't  know  what  yer  a  layin'  out  for, 
yer  don't,"  interrupted  Nan. 

"  No,"  replied  Hetty :  "  Mr.  James  Little  and 
his  wife  are  coming  here  to  stay.  He  will  be 
overseer  of  the  farm." 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  33 

"  What !  Her  that  was  Sally  Newhall  ?  "  ex 
claimed  Nan,  in  a  sharp  tone. 

"  Yes,  that  was  Mrs.  Little's  name  before  she 
was  married,"  replied  Hetty,  looking  Nan  full 
in  the  face  with  a  steady  expression,  intended 
to  restrain  any  farther  remarks  on  the  subject 
of  Mrs.  Little.  But  Nan  was  not  to  be  re 
strained. 

"  Before  she  was  married  !  Yes  'm  !  an'  a 
good  deal  too  late  'twas  she  was  married  too. 
'Deed,  Miss  Hetty,  yer  ain't  never  going  to 
take  her  in  to  live  with  you,  be  yer  ? "  she 
muttered. 

"  Yes,  I  am,  Nan,"  Hetty  said  firmly  ;  "  and 
you  must  never  let  such  a  word  as  that  pass 
your  lips  again.  You  will  displease  me  very 
much  if  you  do  not  treat  Mrs.  Little  respect 
fully." 

"But,  Miss  Hetty,"  persisted  Nan.  "Yer 
don't  know"  — 

"  Yes,  I  do,  Nan  :  I  know  it  all.  But  I  pity 
them  both  very  much.  We  have  all  done  wrong 
in  one  way  or  another ;  and  it  is  the  Lord's 
business  to  punish  people,  not  ours.  You  've 
often  told  me,  Nan,  about  that  pretty  little  girl 
of  yours  and  Caesar's  that  died  when  I  was  a 
baby.  Supposing  she  had  lived  to  be  a  woman, 
3 


34          HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

f 

and  some  one  had  led  her  to  do  just  as  wrong  as 
poor  Sally  Little  did,  wouldn't  you  have  thought 
it  very  hard  if  the  whole  world  had  turned  against 
her,  and  never  given  her  a  fair  chance  again  to 
show  that  she  was  sorry  and  meant  to  live  a 
good  life?" 

Nan  was  softened. 

"  'Deed  would  I,  Miss  Hetty.  But  that  don't 
make  me  feel  like  seein'  that  gal  a  settin'  down 
to  table  with  you,  Miss  Hetty,  now  I  tell  yer ! 
Caesar  nor  me  couldn't  stand  that  nohow  ! " 

"  Yes  you  can,  Nan  ;  and  you  will,  when  you 
know  that  it  would  make  me  very  unhappy  to 
have  you  be  unkind  to  her,"  answered  Hetty, 
firmly.  "  She  and  her  husband  both,  have  done 
all  in  their  power  to  atone  for  their  wrong  ;  and 
nobody  has  ever  said  a  word  against  Mrs.  Little 
since  her  marriage ;  and  one  thing  I  want  dis 
tinctly  understood,  Nan,  by  every  one  on  this 
place,  —  any  disrespectful  word  or  look  towards 
Mr.  or  Mrs.  Little  will  be  just  the  same  as  if  it 
were  towards  me  myself." 

Nan  was  silenced,  but  her  face  wore  an 
obstinate  expression  which  gave  Hetty  some 
misgivings  as  to  the  success  of  her  experiment. 
However,  she  knew  that  Nan  could  be  trusted 
to  repeat  to  the  other  servants  all  that  she  had 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  35 

said,  and  that  it  would  lose  nothing  in  the  recital ; 
and,  as  for  the  future,  one  of  Hetty's  first  prin 
ciples  of  action  was  an  old  proverb  which  her 
grandfather  had  explained  to  her  when  she  was 
a  little  girl,  — 

"  Don't  cross  bridges  till  you  come  to  them." 


36  HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 


III. 


/*T^HE  gratitude  with  which  James  Little's 
wife  received  Hetty's  proposition  was  so 
great  that  it  softened  even  her  father-in-law's 
heart. 

"  I  do  believe,  Hetty,"  he  said,  when  he  gave 
her  their  answer,  "  I  do  believe  that  poor  girl 
has  suffered  more  'n  we  've  given  her  credit  for. 
When  I  explained  to  her  that  you  was  goin' 
to  take  her  right  in  to  be  like  one  o'  your  own 
family,  she  turned  as  white  as  a  sheet,  and 
says  she,  — 

"  '  You  don't  mean  it,  father :  she  won't  ever 
dare  to  : '  and  when  I  said,  says  I,  — 

"  '  Yes,  she  does  :  Hetty  Gunn  ain't  a  girl  not 
to  know  what  she  means  to  do.  And  that 's 
just  what  she  says  she  's  goin'  to  do  with  you 
and  Jim,'  she  broke  right  out  crying,  out  loud, 
just  like  a  little  baby,  and  says  she,  — 

" '  If  the  Lord  don't  bless  Hetty  Gunn  for  bein' 
so  good  to  us  !  she  sha'n't  ever  be  sorry  for  it 's 
long 's  she  lives.' " 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  Hf STORY.  37 

"  Of  course  I  sha'n't,"  said  Hetty,  bluntly.  "  I 
never  was  sorry  yet  for  any  thing  I  did  which 
was  right,  and  I  am  as  sure  this  is  right  as  I  am 
that  I  am  alive.  When  will  they  come  ?  " 

"  Sarah  said  she  would  come  right  over  to-day, 
if  you  'd  like  to  have  her  help  you  ;  and  Jim  he 
could  fix  up  things  at  home,  and  shut  the  house 
up.  Jim  said  they  'd  better  not  let  the  house 
till  you  had  tried  how  it  worked  havin'  'em  here. 
Jim  don't  seem  very  sanguine  about  it.  Poor 
fellow,  he 's  got  the  spirit  all  taken  out  of  him." 

"  Well,  well,  we  '11  put  it  back  again,  see  if  we 
don't,  before  the  year  is  out,"  replied  Hetty,  with 
a  beaming  smile,  which  made  her  face  beautiful. 

It  happened  fortunately  that  poor  Sarah  Little 
first  came  to  her  new  home  alone,  rather  than 
with  her  husband.  The  years  of  solitude  and 
disgrace  through  which  they  had  lived,  had  made 
him  dogged  and  defiant  of  manner,  but  had  made 
her  humble  and  quiet.  She  still  kept  a  good  deal 
of  the  beauty  of  her  youth  ;  and  there  were  few 
persons  who  could  be  unmoved  by  the  upward 
glance  of  her  saddened  blue  eyes.  In  less  than 
five  minutes,  she  conquered  old  Nan,  and  secured 
her  as  an  ally  for  ever.  As  she  entered  the  house, 
Hetty  met  her,  and  saying  cordially,  — 

"  I  'm  glad  to  see  you,  Sally.    It  was  so  good  of 


38  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

you  to  come  right  over  at  once  ;  we  have  a  great 
deal  to  do,"  — she  kissed  her  on  her  forehead. 

Sarah  burst  into  tears.  Nan  stood  by  with  a 
sullen  face.  Turning  towards  her  involuntarily, 
perhaps  because  she  hardly  dared  to  speak  to 
Hetty,  Sarah  said, — 

"  Oh,  Nan,  I  'm  only  crying  because  she  is  so 
kind  to  me.  I  can't  help  it ; "  and  the  poor  thing 
sank  into  a  chair  and  sobbed.  No  wonder !  it  was 
six  years  since  she  had  returned  to  her  native 
village,  a  shame-stricken  woman,  bearing  in  her 
arms  the  child  whose  birth  had  been  her  disgrace. 
That  its  father  was  now  her  husband  did  little 
or  nothing  to  repair  the  loss  which  her  weakness 
and  wrong-doing  had  entailed  on  her.  If  there 
be  a  pitiless  community  in  this  world,  it  is  a  small 
New  England  village.  Calvinism,  in  its  sternest 
aspects,  broods  over  it ;  narrowness  and  monot 
ony  make  rigid  the  hearts  which  theology  has 
chilled  ;  and  a  grim  Pharisaism,  born  of  a  certain 
sort  of  intellectual  keen-wittedness,  completes  the 
cruel  inhumanity.  It  was  six  years  since  poor 
Sarah  Little,  baby  in  arms,  had  come  into  such 
an  air  as  this,  —  six  years,  and  until  this  mo 
ment,  when  Hetty  Gunn  kissed  her  forehead 
and  spoke  to  her  with  affection,  no  woman  had 
ever  said  to  her  a  kindly  word.  When  the  baby 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  39 

died,  not  a  neighbor  came  to  its  funeral.  The 
minister,  the  weeping  father  and  mother,  and 
the  stern-looking  grandfather,  alone  followed  the 
little  unwelcomed  one  to  its  grave.  After  that, 
Sarah  rarely  went  out  of  her  house  except 
at  night.  The  tradesmen  with  whom  she  had 
to  deal  came  slowly  to  have  a  pitying  respect 
for  her.  The  minister  went  occasionally  to  see 
her,  and  in  his  clumsy  way  thought  he  perceived 
what  he  called  "  the  right  spirit "  in  her.  Sarah 
dreaded  his  calls  more  than  any  thing  else. 
What  made  her  isolation  much  harder  to  bear 
was  the  fact  that,  only  two  years  before,  every 
young  girl  in  the  county  had  been  her  friend. 
There  was  no  such  milliner  in  all  that  region  as 
Sarah  Newhall.  In  autumn  and  in  spring,  her 
little  shop  at  Lonway  Four  Corners  was  crowded 
with  chattering  and  eager  girls,  choosing  ribbons 
and  hats,  and  all  deferring  to  her  taste.  Now 
they  all  passed  her  by  with  only  a  cold  and  si 
lent  bow.  Not  one  spoke.  To  Sarah's  affection 
ate,  mirth-loving  temperament,  this  was  misery 
greater  than  could  be  expressed.  She  said  not 
a  word  about  it,  not  even  to  her  husband :  she 
bore  it  as  dumb  animals  bear  pain,  seeking  only 
a  shelter,  a  hiding-place ;  but  she  wished  herself 
dead.  Jim's  share  of  the  punishment  had  been 


40  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

in  some  ways  lighter  than  hers,  in  others  harder. 
He  had  less  loneliness ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  by 
his  constant  intercourse  with  men,  he  was  fre- 
qently  reminded  of  the  barrier  which  separated 
himself  and  his  wife  from  all  that  went  on  in  the 
village.  He  had  the  same  mirthful,  social  tem 
perament  which  she  had  :  the  thoughtless,  child 
ish,  pleasure-loving  quality,  which  they  had  in 
common,  had  been  the  root  of  their  sin ;  and  was 
now  the  instrument  of  their  suffering.  Stronger 
people  could  have  borne  up  better ;  worse  peo 
ple  might  have  found  a  certain  evil  solace  in 
evil  ways  and  with  evil  associates :  but  Jim  and 
Sally  were  incapable  of  any  such  course ;  they 
were  simply  two  utterly  broken-spirited  and 
hopeless  children  whose  punishment  had  been 
greater  than  they  could  bear.  In  a  dogged  way, 
because  they  must  live,  Jim  went  on  earning 
a  little  money  as  surveyor  and  draughtsman. 
He  often  talked  of  going  away  into  some  new  far 
away  place  where  they  could  have,  as  he  said,  in 
the  same  words  Hetty  had  used,  "  a  fair  chance ; " 
but  Sally  would  not  go.  "  It  would  not  make  a 
bit  of  difference,"  she  said :  "  it  would  be  sure 
to  be  found  out,  and  strange  folks  would  despise 
us  even  more  than  our  own  folks  do ;  perhaps 
things  will  come  round  right  after  a  while,  if  we 
stay  here." 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  41 

Jim  did  not  insist,  for  he  loved  Sally  tenderly ; 
and  he  felt,  to  the  core  of  his  heart,  that  the 
least  he  could  do  for  her  now  was  to  let  her  live 
where  she  chose  to  live :  but  he  grew  more  sullen 
and  dogged,  day  by  day  ;  and  Sally  grew  sadder 
and  quieter,  and  things  were  fast  coming  to  a 
bad  pass,  when  Hetty  Gunn's  generous  offer 
came  to  them,  like  a  great  rift  of  sunlight  in  a 
black  sky. 

When  Sally  sank  into  the  chair  sobbing,  Hetty 
made  a  quick  movement  towards  her,  and  was 
about  to  speak  ;  but,  seeing  that  old  Nan  was 
hastening  to  do  the  same  thing,  she  wisely  waited, 
thinking  to  herself,  — 

"  If  Nan  will  only  take  her  under  her  wing,  all 
will  go  well." 

Old  Nan's  tenderness  of  heart  was  unlimited. 
If  her  worst  enemy  were  in  pain  or  sorrow,  she 
would  succor  him :  ready  perhaps  to  take  up  the 
threads  of  her  resentment  again,  as  soon  as  his 
sufferings  were  alleviated  ;  but  a  very  Samaritan 
of  good  offices  as  long  as  he  needed  them.  Cae 
sar,  so  well  understood  this  trait  in  her,  that  in 
their  matrimonial  disputes,  which,  it  must  be  con 
fessed,  were  frequent  and  sharp,  when  all  other 
weapons  failed  him,  he  fell  back  on  the  colic. 
He  had  only  to  interrupt  the  torrent  of  her 


42  HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

reproaches,  with  a  groan,  and  a  twist  of  his  fat 
abdomen,  and  "  oh,  honey,  I  'm  so  bad  in  my 
stomach ! "  and  she  was  transformed,  in  an  in 
stant  from  a  Xantippe  into  a  Florence  Night 
ingale  :  the  whole  current  of  her  wrath  deviated 
from  him  to  the  last  meal  he  had  eaten,  whatever 
it  might  be. 

"Now,  it's  jist  nothin'  but  that  pesky  bacon 
you  ate  this  mornin',  Caesar :  you  sha'n't  never 
touch  a  bit  again 's  long 's  you  live ;  do  you 
hear?"  and  with  hot  water  and  flannels,  she 
would  proceed  to  comfort  and  coddle  him  as  if 
no  anger  had  ever  stirred  her  heart. 

When  she  saw  poor  Sarah  Little  sink  crying 
into  a  chair,  and  heard  the  humble  gratefulness 
of  her  words;  and,  moreover,  felt  herself,  as 
it  were,  distinctly  taken  into  confidence  by 
the  implied  reference  to  the  unhappy  past,  —  old 
Nan  melted. 

"There,  there,  honey:  don't  ye  take  on  so. 
We're  jest  powerful  glad  to  get  you  here,  we 
be.  I  was  a  tellin'  Miss  Hetty  yesterday  she 
couldn't  live  here  alone,  noways :  we  couldn't 
any  of  us  stand  it.  Come  along  into  the  din- 
in'-room,  an'  Caesar  he  '11  give  you  a  glass  of  his 
blackberry  wine.  Caesar  won't  let  anybody  but 
hisself  touch  the  blackberry  wine,  an'  hain't  this 
twenty  year." 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  43 

"  Here,  Caesar  !  you,  Caesar !  where  be  yer  ? 
Come  right  in  here,  you  loafin'  niggah."  This 
was  Nan's  most  affectionate  nickname  for  her 
husband  ;  it  was  always  accompanied  with  a 
glance  of  proud  admiration,  which  was  the  key 
to  the  seemingly  opprobrious  epithet,  and  re 
vealed  that  all  it  really  meant  was  a  complacent 
satisfaction  in  her  breast  that  her  husband  was 
in  a  position  to  loaf  if  he  liked  to,  —  a  gentleman 
of  leisure  and  dignity,  so  to  speak,  subject  to  no 
orders  but  her  own. 

Caesar  could  hardly  believe  his  ears  when  he 
heard  himself  called  upon  to  bring  a  glass  of 
his  blackberry  wine  to  Mrs.  Sarah  Little.  This 
was  not  at  all  in  keeping  with  the  line  of  con 
duct  which  Nan  had  announced  beforehand  that 
she  should  pursue  in  regard  to  that  lady.  Be 
wildered  by  his  perplexed  meditations  on  this 
change  of  policy,  he  moved  even  more  slowly 
than  was  his  wont,  and  was  presently  still  more 
bewildered  by  finding  the  glass  snatched  sud 
denly  from  his  hand,  with  a  sharp  reprimand 
from  Nan. 

"  You  're  asleep,  ain't  you  ?  p'raps  you  'd  bet 
ter  go  back  to  bed,  seein'  it 's  nigh  noon."  "  There, 
honey,  you  jest  drink  this,  an'  it  '11  do  you  good," 
came  in  the  next  second  from  the  same  lips,  in 


44  HETTY 'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

such  dulcet  tones,  that  Caesar  rubbed  his  head 
in  sheer  astonishment,  and  gazed  with  open 
mouth  and  eyes  upon  Nan,  who  was  holding  the 
glass  to  Sally's  mouth,  as  caressingly  as  she 
would  to  a  sick  child's. 

The  battle  was  won  ;  won  by  a  tone  and  a 
tear  ;  won,  as,  ever  since  the  days  of  Goliath,  so 
many  battles  have  been  won  by  the  feebleness 
of  weapons,  and  not  by  their  might. 

When  two  days  later,  James  Little,  more  than 
half  unwillingly,  spite  of  his  gratitude  to  Hetty, 
came  to  take  his  position  as  overseer  at  "  Gunn's," 
he  was  met  at  the  great  gate  by  his  wife,  who 
had  been  watching  there  for  him  for  an  hour. 
He  looked  at  her  with  undisguised  wonder. 
There  was  a  light  in  her  eyes,  a  color  in  her 
cheeks,  he  had  not  seen  there  for  many  years. 
"  Why,  Sally  !  "  he  exclaimed,  but  gave  no  other 
expression  to  his  amazement.  She  understood. 

"  Oh,  Jim ! "  she  said,  "  it  is  like  heaven  here : 
they  're  all  so  kind.  I  told  you  things  would 
come  round  all  right  if  we  waited." 

The  new  overseer  found  himself  welcomed 
because  he  was  Sally's  husband,  and  the  strange 
ness  of  this  was  a  bewilderment  indeed.  He 
could  hardly  understand  the  atmosphere  of  cor 
dial  good  feeling  which  seemed  in  so  short  time 


HETTY1  S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  45 

to  have  grown  up  between  his  wife  and  all  the 
household.  He  had  become  so  used  to  Sally's 
sweet  sad  face,  that  he  did  not  know  how  great 
a  charm  it  held  for  others ;  and  he  had  never 
seen  in  her  the  manner  which  she  now  wore  to 
every  one.  One  day's  kindly  treatment  had 
been  to  her  like  one  day's  sunlight  to  a  drooping 
plant. 

Hetty  was  relieved  and  glad.  All  her  mis 
givings  had  vanished  ;  and  she  found  growing 
up  in  her  heart  a  great  tenderness  toward  Sally. 
She  recollected  well  the  bright  rosy  face  Sally 
had  worn  only  a  few  years  before,  and  the  con 
trast  between  it  and  her  pale  sorrow-stricken 
countenance  now  smote  Hetty  whenever  she 
looked  at  her.  Her  sympathy,  however,  took  no 
shape  in  words  or  caresses.  She  was  too  wise 
for  that.  She  simply  made  it  plain  that  Sally's 
place  in  the  family  was  to  be  a  fixed  and  a  busy 
one. 

"  I  shall  look  after  the  out-door  things,  Sally," 
she  said.  "  I  have  done  that  ever  since  father 
was  so  poorly,  and  I  like  it  best.  I  shall  trust  to 
you  to  keep  the  house  going  all  straight.  Old 
Nan  is'nt  much  of  a  housekeeper,  though  she 's 
a  good  cook  :  she  needs  looking  after." 

And  so  the  new  household  entered  on  its  first 


46          HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

summer.  The  crops  sprang  up,  abundant  and 
green :  all  the  cattle  throve  and  increased :  the 
big  garden  bloomed  full  of  its  old-fashioned 
flowers  ;  its  wide  borders  of  balm  and  lavender 
made  the  whole  road-side  sweet :  the  doors  stood 
open,  and  the  cheery  sounds  of  brisk  farm  life 
were  to  be  heard  all  day  long.  To  all  passers-by 
"  Gunn's  "  seemed  unchanged,  unless  it  were  that 
it  had  grown  even  more  prosperous  and  active. 
But  in  the  hall,  two  knobbed  old  canes  which 
used  to  stand  in  the  corner  were  hung  by  pur 
ple  ribbons  from  the  great  antlers  on  the  wall, 
and  would  never  be  taken  down  again.  Hetty 
had  hung  them  there  the  day  after  the  funeral, 
and  had  laid  the  squire's  riding-whip  across 
them,  saying  to  herself  as  she  did  so,  — 

"  There !  I  '11  keep  those  up  there  as  long  as  I 
live,  and  I  wonder  what  will  become  of  them 
then  or  of  the  farm  either,"  and  she  had  a  long 
and  sad  reverie,  standing  with  the  riding-whip  in 
her  hand  in  the  doorway,  and  tying  and  untying 
the  purple  ribbons.  But  she  shook  the  thought 
off  at  last,  saying  to  herself,  — 

"  Well,  well,  I  don't  suppose  the  farm  '11  go  beg 
ging.  There  are  plenty  of  people  that  would  be 
glad  enough  to  have  me  give  it  to  them.  I  ex 
pect  it  will  have  to  go  to  Cousin  Josiah  after  all ; 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.          47 

but  father  couldn't  abide  him.  It's  a  great  pity 
I  wasn't  a  boy,  then  I  could  have  married  and 
had  children  to  take  it."  A  sudden  flush  cov 
ered  Hetty's  face  as  she  said  this,  and  with 
a  shamefaced,  impatient  twist  of  her  expressive 
features,  she  ran  in  hastily  and  laid  the  whip 
above  the  canes. 

The  only  thing  which  broke  in  on  the  even 
tenor  of  this  summer  at  Gunn's  was  Caesar's  ex 
periencing  religion  in  a  great  revival  at  the 
Methodist  church.  Caesar  had  been  under  con 
viction  again  and  again  ;  but,  as  old  Nan  said 
pathetically  to  her  minister,  there  didn't  seem  to 
be  "  nothin'  to  ketch  hold  by  in  Caesar."  By  the 
time  his  emotions  had  worked  up  to  the  proper 
climax  for  a  successful  result,  he  was  "done  tired 
out,"  and  would  "jest  give  right  up"  and  "let  go," 
and  "  there  he  was  as  bad 's  ever,  if  not  wuss." 
Poor  old  Nan  was  a  very  ardent  and  sincere 
Christian,  spite  of  her  infirmities  of  temper, 
and  she  would  wrestle  in  prayer  with  and  for 
her  husband  till  her  black  cheeks  shone  under 
streams  of  tears.  She  wrestled  all  the  harder 
because  the  ungodly  Caesar  would  sometimes 
turn  upon  her,  and  in  the  most  sarcastic  and  un 
generous  way  ask  if  he  didn't  keep  his  temper 
better  "  without  religion  than  she  did  with  it : " 


48  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

upon  which  Nan  would  groan  and  travail  in 
spirit,  and  beseech  the  Lord  not  to  "  go  an'  let 
her  be  a  stumbler-block  in  Caesar's  way."  The 
Squire's  death  had  produced  a  great  impression 
on  Caesar :  from  that  day  he  had  been,  Nan 
declared,  "  quite  a  changed  pusson ; "  and  the  im 
pression  deepened  until  three  months  later,  in 
the  course  of  a  great  midnight  meeting  in  the 
Methodist  church,  Caesar  Gunn  suddenly  an 
nounced  that  he  had  "  got  religion."  The  one 
habit  which  it  was  hardest  foj:  Caesar  to  give  up, 
in  his  new  character,  was  the  habit  of  swearing. 
Profanity  had  never  been  strongly  discounte 
nanced  at  "  Gunn's."  The  old  Squire  and  the 
young  Squire  had  both  been  in  the  habit  of 
swearing,  on  occasion,  as  roundly  as  troopers  ! 
and  black  Caesar  was  not  going  to  be  behind 
his  masters,  not  he.  So  he,  too,  in  spite  of  old 
Nan's  protestations  and  entreaties,  had  become 
a  confirmed  swearer.  It  had  really  grown  into 
so  fixed  a  habit  that  the  words  meant  nothing : 
it  was  no  more  than  a  trick  of  physical  contor 
tion  of  which  a  man  may  be  utterly  unconscious. 
How  to  break  himself  of  this  was  Caesar's  diffi 
culty. 

"  Yer  see,  Nan  ! "  he  said,  "  I  dunno  when  it 's 
a  comin' :  the-  fust  I  know,  it 's  said  and  done, 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  49 


an'  what  am  I  goin'  to  do  'bout  it  then,  '11  yer 
tell  me  ? "  At  last,  Caesar  hit  on  a  compromise 
which  seemed  to  him  a  singularly  happy  one. 
To  avoid  saying  "  damn  "  was  manifestly  impos 
sible  :  the  word  slipped  out  perpetually  without 
giving  him  warning ;  as  soon  as  he  heard  it,  how 
ever,  his  righteous  soul  remorsefully  followed 
up  the  syllable  by,  — 

"Bress  the  Lord,"  in  Stentorian  tones.  The 
compound  ejaculation  thus  formed  was  one 
which  nobody's  gravity  could  resist ;  and  the 
surprised  and  grieved  expression  with  which 
poor  Caesar  would  look  round  upon  an  audience 
which  he  had  thus  convulsed  was  even  more 
irresistible  than  the  original  expression.  Every 
body  who  came  to  "  Gunn's "  went  away  and 
said,  — 

"  Have  you  heard  the  new  oath  Caesar  Gunn 
swears  with  since  he  got  religion  ?  "  and  "  Damn 
bress  the  Lord  "  soon  became  a  very  by-word  in 
the  town. 


$0  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 


IV. 


"C^ARLY  in  the  autumn,  Deacon  Little's  wife 
-^^  came  one  morning  to  the  house  and  asked  to 
see  Hetty  alone.  Hetty  met  her  with  great  cool 
ness  and  remained  standing,  with  evident  purpose 
to  regard  the  interview  as  simply  one  of  business. 
As  heartily  as  it  was  in  Hetty  Gunn's  nature 
to  dislike  any  one,  and  that  was  very  heartily, 
she  disliked  Mrs.  Little.  Again  and  again, 
during  the  six  months  that  James  and  Sally  had 
been  living  in  her  house,  Hetty  had  asked 
Deacon  and  Mrs.  Little  to  come  and  spend  the 
day  with  them  there.  The  deacon  always  had 
come  alone,  bringing  feeble  apologies  for  Mrs. 
Little,  on  score  of  headaches,  previous  engage 
ments,  and  so  on  ;  but  privately,  to  Hetty,  he  had 
confessed  the  truth,  saying,  — 

"  You  see,  Hetty,  she  hasn't  spoken  to  Sally 
yet ;  and  she  says  she  never  will :  just  to  see 
her  on  the  street,  gives  her  a  dreadful  nervous 
headache,  sometimes  for  two  days.  Mrs.  Little's 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  51 

nerves  are  too  much  for  her  always  :  she  ain't 
strong,  you  know,  Hetty." 

"  Nonsense  !  "  exclaimed  Hetty  at  last,  bluntly. 
"  It  isn't  nerves,  it 's  temper,  and  a  most  unchris 
tian  temper  too,  begging  your  pardon.  Deacon, 
I  know  she  's  your  wife.  If  I  were  Jim,  I  'd  never 
go  near  her,  never,  so  long  as  she  wouldn't  speak 
to  Sally.  I  shan't  ask  her  again,  and  you  may 
tell  her  so ;  and  you  may  tell  her,  too,  that  I  say 
I  'd  rather  take  my  chance  of  being  forgiven  for 
what  Sally 's  done  than  for  what  she  's  doing." 
And  Hetty  strode  up  and  down  her  piazza  wrath- 
fully. 

"  There  are  plenty  of  people  in  town  who  do 
come  here,  and  do  speak  to  Sally,"  she  continued ; 
"and  ever  so  many  of  them  have  told  me  how 
much  they  were  coming  to  like  her.  She  hasn't 
got  any  great  force  I  know.  If  she  had  had, 
such  a  fellow  as  your  Jim  couldn't  have  led  her 
away  as  he  did :  but  she  's  got  all  the  force  the 
Lord  gave  her ;  and  if  ever  there  was  a  girl  that 
repented  for  a  sin,  and  atoned  for  it  too,  it 's 
Sally  ;  and  I  'd  a  good  deal  rather  be  in  her  place 
to-day,  than  in  the  place  of  any  of  the  people  that 
set  themselves  up  as  too  good  to  speak  to  her. 
She 's  a  loving,  patient-souled  creature,  and  she  's 
been  a  real  comfort  to  me  ever  since  she  came  into 


52  HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

my  house  ;  and  anybody  that  won't  speak  to  her 
needn't  speak  to  me,  that 's  all."  Poor  Deacon 
Little  twirled  his  hat  in  his  hands,  and  moved 
about  uneasily  on  his  chair,  during  Hetty's  ex 
cited  speech.  When  he  spoke,  his  distress  was 
so  evident  in  his  voice  that.  Hetty  relented  and 
was  ashamed  of  herself  instantly. 

"  Don't  be  too  hard  on  Mrs.  Little,  Hetty,"  he 
said,  "  you  know  Jim  was  her  favorite  of  all  the 
children ;  and  she  can't  never  see  it  anyways 
but  that  Sally 's  been  his  ruin.  Now  I  don't  see 
it  that  way ;  and  I  've  always  tried  to  be  good 
to  Sally,  in  all  ways  that  I  could  be,  things  being 
as  they  were  at  home.  You  know  a  man  ain't 
always  free  to  do's  he  likes,  Hetty.  He  can't 
go  against  his  wife,  leastways  not  when  she  's 
feeble  like  Mrs.  Little." 

"  No,  no,  Deacon  Little,"  Hetty  hastened  to 
say,  "I  never  meant  to  reproach  you.  Sally 
always  says  you  've  been  good  to  her.  I  'm  very 
sorry  that  I  spoke  so  about  Mrs.  Little  ;  not 
that  I  can  take  a  word  of  it  back,  though,"  added 
Hetty,  her  anger  still  rising  hotly  at  mention  of 
the  name;  "but  I'll  never  say  a  word  to  you 
about  it  again.  It  isn't  fair." 

Deacon  Little  repeated  this  conversation  to 
his  wife,  and  told  Hetty  that  he  had  done  so.  It 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY,  53 

was  therefore  with  great  surprise  that  Hetty 
found  herself  on  this  morning  face  to  face  in  her 
own  home  with  Mrs.  Little. 

"What  in  the  world  can  have  brought  her 
here  ? "  thought  Hetty,  as  she  walked  slowly 
towards  the  sitting-room, "  no  good  I  '11  be  bound ; " 
and  it  was  with  a  look  almost  of  defiance  that  she 
stood  before  her,  waiting  for  her  to  speak.  Mrs. 
Little  with  all  her  immovability  of  prejudice  was 
a  timid  woman,  and  moreover  was  especially 
afraid  of  Hetty  Gunn.  Hetty's  independent, 
downright,  out-spoken  ways  were  alarming  to 
her  nervous,  conservative,  narrow-minded  soul. 

"  I  expect  you  're  surprised  to  see  me  here, 
Hetty,"  she  began. 

"  Very  much,"  interrupted  Hetty  curtly,  in  a 
hard  tone.  A  long  silence  ensued,  which  Hetty 
made  no  movement  to  break,  but  stood  with  her 
arms  folded,  looking  Mrs.  Little  in  the  eye. 

"  I  came  —  to  —  tell  —  to- let  you  know  —  Mr. 
Little  he  wanted  me  to  come  and  tell  you  —  he 
didn't  like  to  —  "  she  stammered. 

Hetty's  quick  instinct  took  alarm. 

"  If  it 's  any  thing  you  've  got  to  say  against 
that  poor  girl  out  there,"  pointing  to  the  garden, 
where  Sally  was  busy  tying  up  chrysanthemums 
"  you  may  as  well  save  yourself  the  trouble.  I 


54          HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

shan't  hear  it,"  and  Hetty  looked  her  unwelcome 
visitor  still  more  defiantly  in  the  face.  Mrs.  Little 
colored,  and  stung  at  last  into  a  command  of  her 
organs  of  speech,  said,  not  without  dignity : 

"You  needn't  suppose  that  I  wish  to  do 
any  thing  to  injure  the  woman  my  son  has 
married.  It  was  Jim  who  asked  his  father  to 
tell  you—" 

"  For  goodness'  sake,  do  say  what  it  is  you  've 
got  to  say,  can't  you  ? "  burst  out  Hetty,  impa 
tiently.  But  Mrs.  Little  was  not  to  be  hurried. 
Between  her  uneasiness  at  being  face  to  face 
with  Hetty,  and  her  false  sense  of  embarrass 
ment  in  speaking  of  the  subject  she  had  come  to 
speak  of,  it  took  her  a  long  time  to  make  Hetty 
understand  that  poor  Sally,  finding  that  she  was 
to  be  a  mother  again,  had  been  afraid  to  tell 
Hetty  herself,  and  had  taken  this  method  of 
letting  her  know  the  fact. 

Hetty  listened  breathlessly,  her  blue  eyes  open 
ing  wide,  and  her  cheeks  growing  red.  She 
did  not  speak.  Mrs.  Little  misinterpreted  her 
silence. 

"  If  you  didn't  want  the  baby  here,  I  'd  take 
it,"  she  said  almost  beseechingly,  "  if  Sally  'd  let 
me :  it  would  break  Jim's  heart  if  they  should 
have  to  leave  here." 


HETTY1  S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  55 

"  Not  want  the  baby  ! "  shouted  Hetty,  in  a 
voice  which  reached  Sally  in  the  garden,  and 
made  her  look  up,  thinking  she  was  called.  "  I 
should  think  you  must  be  crazy,  Mrs.  Little;" 
and,  with  the  involuntary  words,  there  entered 
for  the  first  time  into  her  mind  a  wonder 
whether  Mrs.  Little's  whole  treatment  of  her 
son  and  his  wife  were  not  so  monstrous  as  to 
warrant  a  doubt  as  to  her  sanity.  "Not  want 
the  baby  1  Why  I  'd  give  half  the  farm  to 
have  a  baby  running  about  here.  How  could 
Sally  help  knowing  I  'd  be  glad  ? "  and  Hetty 
moved  swiftly  towards  the  door,  to  go  and 
seek  Sally.  Recollecting  herself  suddenly,  she 
turned,  and,  halting  on  the  threshold,  said  in 
her  hardest  tone  : 

"  Is  there  any  thing  else  you  wish  to  say  ? " 
There  was  ignominious  dismissal  in  her  tone, 
her  look,  her  attitude ;  and  Mrs.  Little  said 
hastily : 

"  Oh,  no,  nothing,  nothing  !  I  only  want  to  tell 
you  that  I  'd  like  to  thank  you,  though,  for  all 
your  kindness  to  Jim  ; "  and  Mrs.  Little's  lips 
quivered,  and  the  tears  came  into  her  eyes. 
Hetty  was  unmoved  by  them. 

"  I  think  more  of  Sally  than  I  do  of  Jim,"  she 
said  severely.  "  It 's  all  owing  to  Sally  that  he 's 


$6  HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

got  a  chance  to  hold  up  his  head  again.  Good 
morning,  Mrs.  Little  ; "  and  Hetty  walked  out  of 
one  door,  leaving  her  guest  to  make  her  own 
way  out  of  the  other. 

Sally  found  it  hard  to  believe  in  Hetty's  readi 
ness  to  welcome  her  baby. 

"  Oh !  you  don't  know,  Hetty,  how  it  will  set 
everybody  to  talking  again,"  said  the  poor  girl. 
"You  ar6  so  different  from  other  folks.  You 
can't  understand.  I  don't  suppose  my  children 
ever  would  be  allowed  to  play  with  other  children, 
do  you  ? "  she  asked  mournfully.  "  That  was 
one  thing  which  comforted  me  when  my  baby 
died.  I  thought  she  wouldn't  live  to  have 
anybody  despise  her  because  she  had  had  me 
for  a  mother.  Somehow  it  don't  seem  fair, 
does  it,  Hetty,  to  have  people  punished  for 
what  their  parents  do  ?  But  the  minister  over 
at  the  Corners,  that  used  to  come  and  see  me, 
he  said  that  was  what  it  meant  in  the  Bible, 
where  it  said  :  '  Unto  the  third  and  fourth  gen 
eration.'  But  I  can't  think  it 's  so  bad  as  that. 
You  don't  believe,  Hetty,  do  you,  that  if  I 
should  have  several  children,  and  they  should 
be  married,  that  their  grandchildren  would  ever 
hear  any  thing  about  me,  how  wicked  I  had 
been  :  do  you,  Hetty  ? " 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  $7 

"  No,  indeed,  child ! "  said  Hetty  sharply,  feel 
ing  as  if  she  should  cry.  "Of  course  I  don't 
believe  any  such  thing ;  and,  if  I  did,  I  wouldn't 
worry  over  it.  Why,  I  don't  even  know  my 
great-grandmother's  name,"  she  laughed,  "much 
less  whether  she  were  good  or  bad." 

"  Oh,  but  the  bad  things  last  so  !  "  said  Sally. 
"  Nobody  says  any  thing  about  the  good  things  : 
it's  always  the  bad  ones.  I  don't  see  why 
people  like  to :  if  they  didn't,  there  'd  be  some 
chance  of  a  thing's  being  forgotten." 

"  Never  you  mind,  Sally,"  said  Hetty,  in  a 
tone  unusually  caressing  for  her.  "  Never  you 
mind,  nobody  talks  about  you  now,  except  to  say 
the  good  things;  and  you  are  always  going  to 
stay  with  me  as  long  as  I  live,  and  when  that 
baby  comes  we  '11  just  wonder  how  we  ever  got 
along  without  him." 

"Oh,  Hetty,  you're  just  one  of  the  Lord's 
angels ! "  cried  Sally. 

"  Humph  !  "  said  Hetty.  "  I  hope  he 's  got 
better  ones.  There  wasn't  much  angel  about 
me  this  morning  when  that  mother-in-law  of 
yours  was  here,  I  can  tell  you.  I  wonder  if 
she'll  have  the  heart  to  keep  away  after  the 
baby's  born." 

"  I  thought  of  that,  too,"  said  Sally,  timidly. 


5 8        HETTY'S  'STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  If  it  should  be  a  boy,  I  think  maybe  she  'd  be 
pleased.  She  always  did  worship  Jim.  That's 
the  reason  she  hates  me  so,"  sighed  Sally. 

It  was  the  last  of  March  before  the  longed- 
for  baby  came.  Never  did  baby  have  a  better 
welcome.  It  was  as  if  three  mothers  had 
awaited  his  coming.  Hetty's  happiness  was 
far  greater  than  Sally's,  and  Nan's  was  hardly 
less.  Hetty  had  been  astonished  at  herself  for 
the  passionate  yearning  she  had  felt  towards  the 
little  unborn  creature  from  the  beginning,  and, 
when  she  took  the  little  fellow  in  her  arms,  her 
first  thought  was,  "  Dear  me !  if  mothers  feel 
any  more  than  I  feel  now,  how  can  they  bear 
it  ? "  Turning  to  Jim,  she  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  Jim  ! 
I  'm  sure  you  ought  to  be  happy  now.  We  '11 
name  this  little  chap  after  you,  James  Little, 
Junior." 

"  No  !  "  said  Jim,  doggedly,  "  I  '11  not  hand 
down  that  name.  The  sooner  it  is  forgotten  the 
better."  All  the  sunshine  and  peace  of  his  new 
home  had  not  been  enough  wholly  to  brighten 
or  heal  Jim's  wounded  spirit.  Hetty  had  found 
herself  baffled  at  every  turn  by  a  sort  of  inertia 
of  sadness,  harder  to  deal  with  than  any  other 
form  of  mental  depression. 

"You're   very   wrong,   Jim,"    replied    Hetty, 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  59 

earnestly.  "The  name  is  your  own  to  make 
or  to  mar,  and  you  ought  to  be  proud  to  hand 
it  down." 

"  You  can't  judge  about  that,  Hetty,"  said  Jim. 
"  It  stands  to  reason  that  you  can't  have  any  idea 
about  the  feeling  of  being  disgraced.  I  don't 
believe  a  man  can  ever  shake  it  off  in  this 
world :  if  he  can  in  any  other,  I  have  my  doubts. 
I  don't  know  what  the  orthodox  people  ever 
wanted  to  get  up  their  theory  of  a  hell  for. 
A  man  can  be  a  worse  hell  to  himself,  than 
any  hell  they  can  invent  to  put  him  into.  I 
know  that." 

"  Jim  !  "  exclaimed  Hetty,  "  how  dare  you 
speak  so,  with  this  dear  little  innocent  baby's 
eyes  looking  up  at  you  ? " 

"  That 's  just  the  reason,"  answered  Jim, 
bitterly.  "  If  this  baby  hadn't  come,  there 
seemed  to  be  some  chance  of  our  outgrowing 
the  memory  of  the  things  we'd  like  to  forget 
and  have  forgotten.  But  this  just  rakes  it  all 
up  again  as  bad  as  ever.  You  '11  see :  you  don't 
know  people  so  well  as  Sally  and  I  do." 

Before  many  weeks  had  passed,  Hetty  was 
forced  to  admit  that  Jim  was  partly  in  the  right. 
Neighbor  after  neighbor,  under  the  guise  of  a 
friendly  interest  in  the  baby,  took  occasion  to  go 


60  HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

over  all  the  details  of  the  first  baby's  life  and 
death  ;  and  there  was,  in  their  manner  to  Sally, 
a  certain  new  and  pitying  condescension  which 
filled  Hetty  with  wrath. 

"  What  a  mercy  'tis,  'tis  a  boy,"  said  one  visi 
tor  sanctimoniously  to  Hetty,  as  they  left  Sally's 
room  together.  Hetty  turned  upon  her  like 
lightning. 

"  I  'd  like  to  know  what  you  mean  by  that," 
she  said  sharply.  The  woman  hesitated,  and  at 
last  said : 

"  Why  you  know,  of  course,  such  things  are 
not  so  much  consequence  to  men." 

"  Such  things  as  what  ? "  said  Hetty,  bluntly. 
"  I  don't  understand  you."  When  at  last  her 
visitor  put  her  meaning  into  unmistakable  words, 
Hetty  wheeled  (they  were  walking  down  the 
long  pine-shaded  avenue  together) ;  stood  still ; 
and  folding  her  arms  on  her  bosom  said : 

"  There  !  that  was  what  I  wanted.  I  thought 
if  you  were  driven  to  putting  it  into  plain  Eng 
lish,  perhaps  you  'd  see  how  abominable  it  was 
to  think  it." 

"  No,  no,  you  needn't  try  to  smooth  it  down," 
she  continued,  interrupting  her  guest's  efforts  to 
mollify  her  by  a  few  deprecating  words.  "  You 
can't  unsay  it,  now  it 's  said  ;  and  saying  it 's 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  6l 

no  worse  than  thinking  it.  I  don't  envy  you  your 
thoughts,  though.  I  've  always  stood  up  for  Sally, 
and  I  always  shall,  and  anybody  that  is  stupid 
enough  to  suppose,  because  I  stand  up  for  her, 
I  justify  what  she  did  that  was  wrong,  is  wel 
come  :  I  don't  care.  Sally  is  a  good,  patient, 
loving  woman  to-day ;  I  don't  know  anybody  more 
so  :  I,  for  one,  respect  her.  I  wish  I  could  be 
half  as  patient ; "  and  Hetty  stooped,  and,  picking 
up  a  handful  of  the  pine-needles  with  which  the 
road  was  thickly  strewn,  crumbled  them  up 
fiercely  in  her  hands,  and  tossing  the  dust  high 
in  the  air,  exclaimed  : 

"  I  wouldn't  give  that  for  the  character  of  any 
woman  that  can't  believe  in  another  woman's 
having  thoroughly  repented  of  having  done 
wrong." 

"  Oh  !  nobody  doubts  that  Sally  has  repented," 
said  the  embarrassed  visitor. 

"  Oh,  they  don't  ? "  said  Hetty,  in  a  sarcastic 
tone  ;  "  well  then  I  'd  like  to  ask  them  what  they 
mean  by  treating  her  as  they  do.  I  'd  like  to  ask 
them  what  the  Lord  does  to  sinners  that  repent. 
He  says  they  are  to  come  and  be  with  him  in 
Heaven,  I  believe  ;  and  I  'd  like  to  know  whether 
after  He 's  taken  them  to  Heaven,  they  're  going  to 
be  reminded  every  minute  of  all  the  sins  they  Ve 
repented  of.  Oh,  but  I  Ve  no  patience  with  it !  " 


62  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

As  Hetty  was  walking  slowly  back  to  the 
house  after  this  injudicious  outburst,  she  met 
Dr.  Eben  Williams  coming  down  the  avenue. 
Her  first  impulse  was  to  plunge  into  the  shrub 
bery,  on  the  right  hand  or  the  left,  and  escape 
him.  The  baby  was  now  four  weeks  old,  and 
yet  Hetty  had  never  till  to-day  seen  the  doctor. 
It  had  been  a  very  sore  point  between  her  and 
Sally,  that  Sally  would  persist  in  having  this 
young  Dr.  Williams  from  the  "  Corners,"  in 
stead  of  old  Dr.  Tuthill,  who  had  been  the 
family  doctor  at  "  Gunn's  "  for  nearly  fifty  years. 
It  was  the  only  quarrel  that  Hetty  and  Sally  had 
ever  had  ;  and  it  came  near  being  a  very  serious 
one  :  but  Hetty  suddenly  recollected  herself,  and 
exclaiming : 

"  Why  bless  me,  Sally,  I  haven't  any  right  to 
decide  what  doctor  you  're  to  have  when  you  're 
sick  ;  I  '11  never  say  another  word  about  it ;  only 
you  needn't  expect  me  ever  to  speak  to  that 
Eben  Williams  ;  I  never  expected  to  see  him 
under  my  roof,"  she  dropped  the  subject  and 
never  alluded  to  it  again. 

Her  first  impulse,  as  we  said,  when  she  saw 
the  obnoxious  doctor  coming  towards  her  now, 
was  to  fly ;  her  second  one  of  anger  with  her 
self  for  the  first. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  63 

"  I  'm  on  my  own  ground,"  she  thought  with 
some  of  the  old  Squire's  honest  pride  stirring 
her  veins,  "  I  think  I  will  not  run  away  from 
the  popinjay." 

It  was  hard  to  know  just  how  such  a  dislike 
to  Dr.  Eben  Williams  had  grown  up  in  Hetty's 
friendly  heart.  He  had  come  some  four  years 
before  to  practise  medicine  at  Lonway  Four 
Corners.  His  bright  and  cordial  face,  his  social 
manner,  his  superior  education,  readiness,  and 
resource,  had  quickly  won  away  many  patients 
from  old  Dr.  Tuthill,  who  still  drove  about  the 
country  as  he  had  driven  for  half  a  century,  with 
a  ponderous  black  leather  case  full  of  calomel 
and  jalap  swung  under  his  sulky.  A  few  old 
families,  the  Gunns  among  the  number,  adhered 
faithfully  to  the  old  doctor,  and  became  bitter 
partisans  against  the  new  one. 

"  Let  him  stick  to  the  Corners :  if  they  like 
him  there,  they  're  welcome  to  him.  He  needn't 
be  trying  to  get  all  Welbury  besides,"  they 
said  angrily.  "  Welbury 's  done  very  well  for 
a  doctor,  these  good  many  years :  since  be 
fore  Eben  Williams  was  born,  for  that  matter ; " 
and  words  ran  high  in  the  warfare.  Squire 
Gunn  was  one  of  the  most  violent  of  Dr. 
Williams's  opposers ;  and  when,  a  few  days  be- 


64  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

fore  his  death,  old  Dr.  Tuthill  had  timidly 
suggested  that  it  might  be  well  to  have  a  con 
sultation,  the  Squire  broke  out  with  : 

"  Not  that  damned  Eben  Williams  then.  I 
won't  have  that  damned  rascal  set  foot  in  this 
house.  You  're  a  fool,  Tuthill,  to  let  that  young 
upstart  get  all  your  practice  as  he 's  a  doing." 

The  old  man  smiled  sadly.  He  did  not  in  the 
least  share  his  friends'  hostility  to  the  handsome, 
young,  and  energetic  physician  who  was  so  plainly 
soon  to  be  his  successor  in  the  county. 

"  Ah,  Squire !  "  he  said,  "  you  forget  how  old 
you  and  I  are.  It  is  nearly  my  time  to  pass  on, 
and  make  room  for  a  younger  man.  Eben 's  a 
good  doctor.  I  'd  rather  he  'd  have  the  circuit 
here  than  anybody  I  know."  / 

"  Damned  interloper !  let  him  wait  till  you  're 
dead,"  growled  the  Squire.  "  He  shan't  have 
a  hand  in  finishing  me  off  at  any  rate.  I  don't 
want  any  of  their  new-fangled  notions."  And 
the  Squire  died  as  he  had  lived,  on  the  old  plan, 
with  the  old  doctor. 

When  Eben  Williams  saw  that  he  was  about 
to  meet  Hetty  Gunn,  his  emotions  were  hardly 
less  conflicting  than  hers.  He,  too,  would  have 
liked  to  escape  the  meeting,  for  he  had  under 
stood  clearly  that  his  presence  in  her  house  was 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.          65 

most  unwelcome  to  her.  But  he,  too,  had  his 
own  pride,  as  distinct  and  as  strong  as  hers,  and 
at  the  very  moment  that  Hetty  was  saying  to 
herself,  "  I  'm  on  my  own  ground :  I  won't  run 
away  from  the  popinjay,"  Dr.  Eben  was  think 
ing  in  his  heart,  "  What  a  fool  I  am  to  care  a 
straw  about  meeting  her!  I'm  about  my  own 
business,  and  she  is  an  obstinate  simpleton." 

The  expressions  of  their  faces  as  they  met, 
and  passed,  with  cold  bows,  were  truly  comical ; 
each  so  thoroughly  conscious  of  the  other's  an 
tagonism,  and  endeavoring  to  look  unconscious 
of  it. 

"By  Jove,  she's  got  a  charming  face,  if  she 
didn't  look  so  obstinate,"  said  Dr.  Eben  to 
himself,  as  he  hurried  on. 

"He  looked  at  me  as  he'd  have  looked  at  a 
snake,"  thought  Hetty.  "I  guess  he's  an  hon 
est  fellow  after  all.  He 's  got  a  handsome  beard 
of  his  own." 

When  she  entered  Sally's  room,  Sally  ex 
claimed,  "Oh,  Hetty!  didn't  you  meet  the 
doctor  ? " 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty,  coolly.     Sally  looked  wist 
fully  at  her  for  a  few  seconds.     "  Oh,  Hetty ! " 
she  said,  "  I  thought,  perhaps,  if  you  saw  him, 
you'd  like  him  better." 
5 


66  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  I  never  said  any  thing  against  his  looks,  did 
I  ?  "  laughed  Hetty.  "  He  is  a  very  handsome 
man :  he  is  the  handsomest  man  I  ever  saw,  if 
that 's  all !  " 

"  But  it  isn't  all ;  it  isn't  any  thing ! "  ex 
claimed  Sally.  "  If  he  were  an  ugly  dwarf,  I 
should  love  him  just  as  well.  Oh,  Hetty,  if  you 
only  knew  how  good  he  was  to  me,  when  I  was 
sick  seven  years  ago !  I  should  have  died  if  it 
hadn't  been  for  him.  There  wasn't  a  woman  at 
the  Corners  that  ever  came  near  me,  except  Mrs. 
Patrick,  the  Irish  woman  I  boarded  with  ;  and, 
he  used  to  stop  and  make  broth  for  me,  on  my 
stove,  with  his  own  hands,  and  sit  and  hold  the 
baby  on  his  knees,  and  talk  to  me  so  beautifully 
about  her.  He  just  kept  me  alive." 

Hetty's  face  flushed.  Sally  had  never  told 
her  so  much  before ;  she  could  not  help  a  glow 
at  her  heart,  at  the  picture  of  the  handsome 
young  doctor  sitting  with  the  poor,  outcast  baby 
on  his  knees,  and  comforting  the  poor  outcast 
mother.  But  Hetty  was  a  Gunn ;  and,  as  Dr. 
Eben  had  said,  obstinate.  She  could  not  forget 
her  partisanship  for  Dr.  Tuthill.  She  was 
even  all  the  angrier  with  the  young  doctor  for 
being  so  clever,  so  kind,  so  skilful,  so  handsome, 
and  so  pleasant,  that  everybody  wanted  him. 


HETTY* S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  6/ 

"  I  dare  say,"  she  replied.  "  He  'd  do  any 
thing  to  curry  favor.  He's  been  determined 
from  the  first  to  get  all  the  practice  of  the  whole 
county,  and  I  suppose  as  soon  as  Doctor  Tuthill 
dies,  he  '11  have  it ;  and  he  may  as  well,  for  I 
don't  doubt  he 's  a  good  doctor :  but  I  think  it 
was  a  mean  underhand  thing  to  come  in  here 
and  try  to  cut  another  man  out." 

"  Why,  Hetty  ! "  remonstrated  Sally,  in  a  tone 
of  unusual  vehemence  for  her.  "  Why,  Hetty  ; 
there  wasn't  any  doctor  at  the  Corners  :  he  didn't 
cut  anybody  out  there  ;  and  I  'm  sure  they  needed 
a  doctor  bad  enough  ;  and  it  was  his  native  place 
too." 

"  Oh  !  that 's  all  very  well  to  say,"  answered 
Hetty.  "  It 's  a  likely  story,  isn't  it,  that  any 
body 'd  settle  in  Lonway  Four  Corners,  just  for 
the  little  practice  there  is  in  that  handful  of  a 
village.  He  knew  very  well  he  'd  get  Welbury, 
and  Springton,  and  all  the  county." 

"  But,  Hetty,"  persisted  Sally.  "  He  wasn't  to 
blame,  if  people  in  these  towns  sent  for  him, 
hearing  how  good  he  was.  Indeed,  indeed, 
Hetty,  he  don't  care  for  the  money.  He 
wouldn't  take  a  cent  from  Jim,  and  he  never 
does  from  poor  people.  I  've  heard  him  say  a 
dozen  times,  that  he  should  have  come  home  to 


68  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

live  on  the  old  farm,  even  if  they  hadn't  needed 
a  doctor  there  :  he  loves  the  country  so,  he  can't 
be  happy  in  the  city  ;  and  he  loves  every  stick 
and  stone  of  the  old  farm." 

"  Humph  !  "  said  Hetty.  "  He  looks  like  a 
country  fellow,  doesn't  he,  with  his  fine  clothes, 
and  his  gauntlet  gloves !  Don't  tell  me !  I  say 
he  is  a  popinjay,  with  all  his  learning.  Now 
don't  talk  any  more  about  it,  little  woman,  for 
your  cheeks  are  getting  too  red,"  and  Hetty 
took  up  the  baby,  and  began  to  toss  him  and 
talk  to  him. 

Hetty  knew  in  her  heart  that  she  was  unjust. 
More  than  she  would  have  owned  to  herself,  and 
still  more  than  she  would  have  acknowledged  to 
Sally,  she  had  admired  Eben  Williams's  honest, 
straightforward,  warm-hearted  face.  But  she 
preferred  to  dislike  Eben  Williams  :  her  father 
had  disliked  him,  and  had  said  he  should 
never  set  foot  in  the  house ;  and  Hetty  felt  a 
certain  sort  of  filial  obligation  to  keep  up  the 
animosity. 

But  Nature  had  other  plans  for  Hetty.  In 
fact  if  one  were  disposed  to  be  superstitious, 
one  might  well  have  said  that  fate  itself  had 
determined  to  thwart  Hetty's  resolution  of  hos 
tility.  ' 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  69 


V. 


O  ALLY  did  not  recover  rapidly  from  her 
illness  :  her  long  mental  suffering  had  told 
upon  her  vitality,  and  left  her  unprepared  for 
any  strain.  The  little  baby  also  languished, 
sharing  its  mother's  depressed  condition.  Day 
after  day,  Doctor  Eben  came  to  the  house.  His 
quick  step  sounded  in  the  hall  and  on  the 
stairs ;  his  voice  rang  cheery,  whenever  the 
door  of  Sally's  room  stood  open.  Hetty  found 
herself  more  and  more  conscious  of  his  presence  : 
each  day  she  felt  a  half  guilty  desire  to  see 
him  again  ;  she  caught  herself  watching  for  his 
knock,  listening  for  his  step ;  she  even  went  so 
far  as  to  wonder  in  a  half  impatient  way  why  he 
never  sent  for  her,  to  give  her  the  directions 
about  Sally,  instead  of  giving  them  to  the  nurse. 
She  little  dreamed  that  Doctor  Eben  was  as 
anxious  to  avoid  seeing  her,  as  she  had  been  to 
avoid  seeing  him.  He  had  a  strangely  resentful 
feeling  towards  Hetty,  as  if  she  were  a  personal 


70  HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

friend  who  had  been  treacherous  to  him.  She 
was  the  only  one  of  all  the  partisans  of  Doctor 
Tuthill  that  he  could  not  sympathize  with  and 
heartily  forgive.  He  would  have  found  it  very 
hard  to  explain  why  he  thus  singled  out  Hetty, 
but  he  had  done  so  from  the  outset.  Strange 
forerunning  instinct  of  love,  which  uttered  its 
prophecy  in  an  unknown  tongue  in  an  alien 
country !  There  came  a  day  before  long,  when 
Doctor  Eben  and  Hetty  were  forced  to  forget  all 
their  prejudices,  and  to  come  together  on  a  com 
mon  ground,  where  no  antagonisms  could  exist. 

Sally  and  the  baby  were  both  very  ill.  Hetty, 
in  her  inexperience  of  illness,  had  not  real 
ized  how  serious  a  symptom  Sally's  long  con 
tinued  prostration  was.  In  her  own  busy  and 
active  life,  the  days  flew  by  almost  uncounted : 
she  was  out  early  and  late,  walking  or  riding 
over  the  farm  ;  and  when  she  came  back  to 
Sally's  room,  and  found  her  always  with  the 
same  placid  smile,  and  fair  untroubled  face,  and 
heard  always  the  same  patient  reply,  "  Very  com 
fortable,  thank  you,  dear  Hetty,"  it  never  oc 
curred  to  her  that  any  thing  was  wrong.  It 
seemed  strange  to  her  that  the  baby  was  so 
still,  that  he  neither  cried  nor  laughed  like 
other  babies  ;  and  it  seemed  to  her  very  hard  for 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  7 1 

Sally  to  have  to  be  shut  up  in  the  house  so  long : 
but  this  was  all  ;  she  was  totally  unprepared  for 
any  thought  of  danger,  and  the  shock  was  terri 
ble  to  her,  when  the  thought  came.  It  was  on 
a  sunny  day  in  May,  one  of  those  incredible 
summer  days  which  New  England  sometimes 
flashes  out  like  frost-set  jewels  in  her  icy  spring. 
Hetty  had  listened,  as  usual,  to  hear  the  Doctor 
leave  Sally's  room :  she  was  more  than  usually 
impatient  to  have  him  go,  for  she  was  waiting  to 
take  in  to  Sally  a  big  basket  of  arbutus  blossoms 
which  old  Caesar  had  gathered,  and  had  brought 
to  Hetty  with  a  characteristic  speech. 

"  Seems 's  if  the  Lord  meant  'em  for  baby's 
cheeks,  don't  it,  Miss  Hetty  ?  they  're  so  rosy." 

"  Our  poor  little  man's  cheeks  are  not  so  pink 
yet,"  said  Hetty,  and  as  she  looked  at  the  pearly 
pink  bells  nestling  in  their  green  leaves,  she 
sighed,  and  wished  that  the  baby  did  not  look 
so  pale.  "  But  he  '11  be  all  right  as  soon  as  we 
can  get  him  out  of  doors  in  the  June  sunshine," 
she  added,  and  turned  from  the  dining-room  into 
the  hall,  with  the  great  basket  of  arbutus  in  her 
hand.  As  she  turned,  she  gave  a  cry,  and 
dropped  her  flowers  :  there  sat  Dr.  Eben,  in  a 
big  arm-chair,  by  the  doorway.  He  sprang  to 
pick  up  the  flowers.  Hetty  looked  at  him  with- 


72  HETTY' 'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

out  speaking.  "  I  was  waiting  here  to  see  you, 
Miss  Gunn,"  he  said,  as  he  gave  back  the  flowers. 
"  I  am  very  sorry  to  be  obliged  to  speak  to  you," 
—  here  Hetty's  eyes  twinkled,  and  a  slight, 
almost  imperceptible,  but  very  comic  grimace 
passed  over  her  face.  She  was  thinking  to  her 
self,  "  Honest,  that !  I  expect  he  is  very  sorry,"  — 
"  I  am  very  sorry  to  have  to  speak  to  you  about 
Mrs.  Little,"  he  continued  ;  "but  I  think  it  is  my 
duty  to  tell  you  that  she  is  sinking  very  fast." 

"What !  Sally!  what  is  the  matter  with  her?" 
exclaimed  Hetty.  "  Come  right  in  here,  doctor ; " 
and  she  threw  open  the  sitting-room  door,  and, 
leading  him  in,  sank  into  the  nearest  chair,  and 
said,  like  a  little  child : 

"  Oh,  dear !  what  shall  I  do  ? " 

Dr.  Eben  looked  at  her  for  a  second, 
scrutinizingly. 

This  was  not  the  sort  of  person  he  had  ex 
pected  to  see  in  Miss  Hetty  Gunn.  This  was  an 
impulsive,  outspoken,  loving  woman,  without  a 
trace  of  any  thing  masculine  about  her,  unless  it 
were  a  certain  something  in  the  quality  of  her 
frankness,  which  was  masculine  rather  than  fem 
inine  ;  it  was  more  purely  objective  than  women's 
frankness  is  wont  to  be  :  this  Dr.  Eben  thought 
out  later  ;  at  present,  he  only  thought : 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  73 

"  Poor  girl !  I  Ve  got  to  hurt  her  sadly." 

"  You  don't  mean  that  Sally 's  going  to  die,  do 
you  ? "  said  Hetty,  in  a  clear,  unflinching  tone. 

"  I  am  afraid  she  will,  Miss  Gunn,"  replied  Dr. 
Eben,  "  not  immediately ;  perhaps  not  for  some 
months  :  but  there  seems  to  be  a  general  failure 
of  all  the  vital  forces.  I  cannot  rouse  her,  body 
or  soul." 

"  Nonsense  !  "  said  Hetty.  "  If  rousing  is  all 
she  wants,  surely  we  can  rouse  her  somehow. 
Isn't  there  any  thing  wrong  with  her  anywhere  ? " 

Dr.  Eben  smiled  in  spite  of  himself  at  this  off 
hand,  non-professional  view  of  the  case ;  but  he 
answered,  sadly : 

"  Not  what  you  mean  by  any  thing  wrong  ;  if 
there  were,  it  would  be  easier  to  cure  her." 

Hetty  knitted  her  brows,  and  looked  at  him 
in  her  turn,  scrutinizingly.  "  Have  you  had 
patients  like  her  before  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Dr.  Eben. 

"  Did  they  all  die  ?  Didn't  you  cure  one  ?  " 
continued  Hetty,  inexorably. 

"  I  have  known  persons  in  such  a  condition  to 
recover,"  said  Dr.  Eben,  with  dignity  ;  "  but  not 
by  the  help  of  medicine  so  much  as  by  an  entire 
change  of  conditions." 

"  What   do   you  mean  by  conditions  ? "  said 


74          HETTY1  S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

Hetty,  never  having  heard,  in  her  simple  and 
healthful  life,  of  anybody's  needing  what  is  called 
a  "change  of  scene."  Dr.  Eben  smiled  again, 
and,  as  he  smiled,  he  noted  with  an  involuntary 
professional  delight  the  clear,  fine  skin,  the  firm 
flesh,  the  lustrous  eye,  the  steady  poise  of 
every  muscle  in  this  woman,  who  was  catechising 
him,  with  so  evident  a  doubt  as  to  his  skill  and 
information. 

"  I  hardly  think,  Miss  Gunn,"  he  went  on, 
"  that  I  could  make  you  understand,  in  your 
superb  health,  just  all  I  mean  by  change  of  con-. 
ditions.  It  means  change  of  food,  air,  surround 
ings  ;  every  thing  in  short,  which  addresses 
itself  to  the  senses.  It  means  an  entire  new  set 
of  nerve  impressions." 

"  Sally  isn't  in  the  least  nervous,  broke  in 
Hetty.  "  She 's  always  as  quiet  as  a  mouse." 

"You  mean  that  she  isn't  in  the  least  fidgety," 
replied  the  doctor.  "That  is  quite  another  thing. 
Some  of  the  most  nervous  people  I  know  have 
absolute  quiet  of  manner.  Mrs.  Little's  nervous 
system  has  been  for  several  years  under  a  terri 
ble  strain.  When  I  was  first  called  to  her,  I 
thought  her  trouble  and  suffering  would  kill  her ; 
and  I  didn't  think  it  would  take  so  long.  But  it 
is  that  which  is  killing  her  now." 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  7$ 

Hetty  was  not  listening :  she  was  thinking 
very  perplexedly  of  what  the  doctor  had  said  a 
few  moments  before  ;  interrupting  him  now,  she 
said,  "  Would  it  do  Sally  good  to  take  her  to  an 
other  place  ?  that  is  easily  done."  Dr.  Eben 
hesitated. 

"  I  think  sea-air  might  help  her;  but  I  am  not 
sure,"  he  replied. 

"  Would  you  go  with  us  ? "  asked  Hetty.  "  She 
wouldn't  go  without  you."  The  doctor  hesitated 
again.  He  looked  into  Hetty's  eyes  :  they  were 
fixed  on  his  as  steadily,  as  unembarrassedly,  as  if 
he  and  Hetty  had  been  comrades  for  years. 
"What  a  woman  she  is,"  he  thought  to  himself, 
"to  coolly  ask  me  to  become  their  travelling 
physician,  when  for  six  weeks  I  have  been 
coming  to  the  house  every  day,  and  she  would 
not  even  speak  to  me ! " 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  I  could,  Miss  Gunn,"  he 
replied.  Hetty's  face  changed.  A  look  of  dis 
tress  stamped  every  feature. 

"  Oh,  Dr.  Williams,  do ! "  she  exclaimed. 
"  Sally  would  never  go  without  you ;  and  she  will 
die,  you  say,  unless  she  has  change."  Then 
hesitating,  and  turning  very  red,  Hetty  stam 
mered,  "  I  can  pay  you  any  thing  —  which  would 
be  necessary  to  compensate  you :  we  have 


?6  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

money  enough."  Dr.  Eben  bowed,  and  an 
swered  with  some  asperity : 

"  The  patients  that  I  had  hesitancy  about  leav 
ing  are  patients  who  pay  me  nothing.  It  is  not 
in  the  least  a  question  of  money,  Miss  Gunn." 

"  Forgive  me,"  exclaimed  Hetty,  "  I  did  not 
know  —  I  thought  —  " 

"Your  thought  was  a  perfectly  natural  one, 
Miss  Gunn,"  interrupted  the  doctor,  pitying  her 
confusion.  "  I  have  never  had  need  to  make  my 
profession  a  source  of  income  :  I  have  no  am 
bition  to  be  rich ;  and,  as  I  am  alone  in  the 
world,  I  can  afford  to  do  what  many  other 
physicians  could  not." 

"When  can  you  tell  if  you  could  go?"  con 
tinued  Hetty,  not  apparently  hearing  what  the 
doctor  had  said. 

"  She  only  thinks  of  me  as  she  would  of  a 
chair  or  a  carriage  which  would  make  her  friend 
more  comfortable,"  thought  the  doctor ;  "  and 
why  should  she  think  of  me  in  any  other  way," 
he  added,  impatient  with  himself  for  the  selfish 
thought. 

"  To-morrow,"  said  he,  curtly.  "  If  I  can  go,  I 
will  ;  and  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost." 

Hetty  nodded  her  head,  but  did  not  speak 
another  word :  she  was  too  near  crying ;  and  to 


HETTY1  S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  77 

have  cried  in  the  presence  of  Dr.  Eben  Williams 
would  have  mortified  Hetty  to  the  core. 

"  Oh,  to  think,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  that,  after 
all,  I  should  have  to  be  under  such  obligations  to 
that  man !  But  it  is  all  for  Sally's  sake,  poor 
dear  child.  How  good  he  is  to  her !  If  he  were 
anybody  else,  I  should  like  him  with  all  my  heart." 

The  next  morning,  as  Dr.  Williams  walked 
slowly  up  the  avenue,  he  saw  Hetty  standing  in 
the  doorway,  shading  her  eyes  with  her  hand  and 
looking  towards  him.  The'  morning  sun  shone 
full  upon  her,  and  made  glints  of  golden  light 
here  and  there  in  her  thick  brown  curls.  Hetty 
had  worn  her  hair  in  the  same  style  for  fifteen 
years  ;  short,  clustering  curls  close  to  her  head 
on  either  side,  and  a  great  mass  of  curls  falling 
over  a  comb  at  the  back.  If  Hetty  had  a  vanity 
it  was  of  her  hair;  and  it  was  a  vanity  one  was 
forced  to  forgive,  —  it  had  such  excellent  reason 
for  being.  The  picture  which  she  made  in  the 
doorway,  at  this  moment,  Dr.  Eben  never  forgot : 
a  strange  pleasure  thrilled  through  him  at  the 
sight.  As  he  drew  near,  she  ran  down  the  steps 
towards  him  ;  ran  down  with  no  more  thought 
or  consciousness  of  the  appearance  of  welcoming 
him,  than  if  she  had  been  a  child  of  seven  :  she 
was  impatient  to  know  whether  Sally  could  go  to 


78  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

the  sea-shore.  This  man  who  approached  held 
the  decision  in  his  hands ;  and  he  was,  at  that 
moment,  no  more  to  Hetty  than  any  messenger 
bringing  word  which  she  was  eager  to  hear. 
But  Dr.  Eben  would  have  been  more  or  less 
than  man,  could  he  have  seen,  unmoved,  the 
swift  motion,  the  outstretched  hands,  the  eager 
eyes,  the  bright  cheeks,  the  sunlit  hair,  of  the 
beautiful  woman  who  ran  to  meet  him. 

"  Well  ?  "  was  all  that  Hetty  said,  as,  panting 
for  want  of  breath,  she  turned  as  shortly  as 
a  wild  creature  turns,  and  began  to  walk  by  Dr. 
Eben's  side.  He  forgot,  for  the  instant,  all  the 
old  antagonisms ;  he  forgot  that,  until  yesterday, 
he  had  never  spoken  with  Hetty  Gunn  ;  and, 
meeting  her  eager  gaze  with  one  about  as  eager, 
he  said  in  a  familiar  tone  : 

"  Yes;  well!  I  am  going." 

Hetty  stopped  short,  and,  looking  up  at  him, 
exclaimed : 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  glad ! " 

The  words  were  simple  enough,  but  the  tone 
made  them  electric.  The  doctor  felt  the  blood 
mounting  in  his  face,  under  the  unconscious  look 
of  this  middle-aged  child.  She  did  not  perceive 
his  expression.  She  did  not  perceive  any  thing, 
except  the  fact  that  Sally's  doctor  would  help 


HETTY* S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  79 

her  take  Sally  away,  and  save  Sally's  life.     She 
continued : 

"  We  '11  take  her  to  '  The  Runs.'  Did  you  ever 
go  there,  doctor?  It  is  only  a  day's  journey 
from  here,  the  loveliest  little  sea-side  place  I  ever 
saw.  It  isn't  like  the  big  sea-side  places  with 
their  naked  rocks,  and  their  great,  cruel,  thun 
dering  beaches.  I  hate  those.  They  make  me 
sad  and  desperate.  I  know  Sally  wouldn't  like 
them.  But  this  little  place  is  as  sweet  and 
quiet  as  a  lake  ;  and  yet  it  is  the  sea.  It  is 
hugged  in  between  two  tongues  of  land,  and 
there  are  ever  so  many  little  threads  of  the  sea, 
running  way  up  into  the  meadows,  which  are 
thick  with  high  strong  grass,  so  different  from 
all  the  grasses  we  have  here.  I  buy  salt  hay 
from  there  every  year,  and  the  cattle  like  it, 
just  a  little  of  it,  as  well  as  we  like  a  bit  of 
broiled  bacon  for  breakfast.  There  is  a  nice  bit 
of  beach,  too,  —  real  beach  ;  but  there  are  trees 
on  it,  and  it  looks  friendly :  not  as  if  it  were  just' 
made  on  purpose  for  wrecks  to  drift  up  on,  like 
the  big  beaches  :  oh,  but  I  hate  a  great,  long 
sea-beach !  There  is  a  farm-house  there,  not 
two  minutes'  walk  from  this  beach,  where  they 
always  take  summer  boarders.  In  July  it 
wouldn't  be  pleasant,  because  it  is  crowded ; 


80  HEJTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

but  now  it  will  be  empty,  and  we  can  have  it 
all  to  ourselves.  There  is  a  dear,  old,  retired, 
sea  captain  there,  too,  who  takes  people  out  in 
such  a  nice  sail-boat.  I  shall  keep  Sally  and 
the  baby"  out  on  the  water  all  day  long.  I  am 
afraid  you  will  find  it  very  dull,  Dr.  Williams. 
Do  you  like  the  sea  ?  Of  course  you  will  stay 
with  us  all  the  time.  I  don't  mean  in  the  least, 
that  you  are  to  come  only  once  a  day  to  see 
Sally,  as  you  do  here.  You  will  be  our  guest, 
you  understand.  I  dare  say  you  will  do  more  to 
cure  Sally  than  all  the  sea-air  and  all  the  med 
icine  put  together.  She  has  had  so  few  people 
to  love  in  this  world,  poor  girl,  that  those  she 
does  love  are  very  dear  to  her.  She  is  more 
grateful  to  you  than  to  anybody  else  in  the 
world." 

"  Except  you,  Miss  Gunn,"  replied  the  doctor, 
earnestly.  "  You  have  done  for  her  far  more 
than  I  ever  could.  I  could  show  only  a  personal 
sympathy  ;  but  you  have  added  to  the  personal 
sympathy  material  aid." 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  know,"  said  Hetty,  absently. 
She  did  not  wish  to  hear  any  thing  said  about 
this.  "  We  can  set  out  to-morrow,  if  you  can 
be  ready,"  she  continued.  "  I  shall  have  Caesar 
drive  the  horses  over  next  week.  They  can't 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  8 1 

very  well  be  spared  this  week.  The  worst 
thing  is,  we  have  to  set  out  so  early  in  the 
morning,  and  Sally  is  always  so  much  weaker 
then.  Could  you  "  —  Hetty  hesitated,  and  fairly 
stammered  in  her  embarrassment.  "  Couldn't 
you  come  over  here  to-night  and  sleep,  so  as  to 
be  here  when  she  first  wakes  up  ?  You  might 
do  something  to  help  her."  Before  Hetty  had 
finished  her  sentence,  her  face  was  crimson. 
Dr.  Eben's  was  full  of  a  humorous  amusement. 
Already,  in  twenty-four  hours,  had  it  come  to  this, 
that  Hetty  was  urging  that  popinjay  Dr.  Eben- 
ezer  Williams,  to  come  and  sleep  under  her  roof  ? 
The  twinkle  in  his  face  showed  her  plainly 
what  he  was  thinking.  He  began  to  reply : 

"  You  are  very  kind,  Miss  Gunn  "  —  Hetty 
interrupted  him : 

"No,  I  am  not  at  all  kind,  Dr.  Williams  ;  and 
I  see  you  are  laughing  at  me,  because  I  've  had 
to  speak  to  you,  after  all,  as  if  I  liked  you.  But, 
of  course,  you  understand  that  it  is  all  for  Sally's 
sake.  If  I  were  to  be  ill  myself,  I  should  have 
Dr.  Tuthill,"  said  Hetty,  in  a  tone  meant  to  be 
very  resolute  and  dignified,  but  only  succeeding 
in  being  comical. 

The  doctor  bowed  ceremoniously,  replying : 

"  I  will  be  as  frank  as  you  are,  Miss  Gunn.  As 
6 


82  HETTY 'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

you  say,  '  of  course '  I  understand  that  any  ap 
parent  welcome  which  you  extend  to  me  is 
entirely  for  Mrs.  Little's  sake ;  and  that  it  is 
sorely  against  your  will  that  you  have  been 
obliged  to  speak  to  me  ;  and  that  it  is  solely  in 
my  capacity  as  physician  that  I  am  asked  to 
sleep  under  your  roof  to-night ;  and  I  beg  your 
pardon  for  saying  that  I  accept  the  invitation 
in  that  capacity,  and  no  other,  solely  because  I 
believe  it  will  be  fx?r  the  interest  of  my  patient 
that  I  do  so.  Good  morning,  Miss  Gunn,"  and,  as 
at  that  moment  they  reached  the  house,  Dr. 
Eben  bowed  again  as  ceremoniously  as  before, 
sprang  up  the  piazza,  steps,  and  ran  up  the 
staircase,  two  steps  at  a  time,  to  Sally's  room. 
Hetty  stood  still  in  the  doorway :  she  felt  her 
self  discomfited.  She  was  half  angry,  half 
amused.  She  did  not  like  what  the  doctor  had 
said  ;  but  she  admitted  to  herself  that  it  was 
precisely  what  she  would  have  said  in  his  place. 
"  I  don't  blame  him,"  she  thought,  "  I  don't 
blame  him  a  bit ;  but,  it  is  horridly  disagreeable. 
I  don't  see  how  we  're  ever  to  get  on ;  and  it  is  so 
provoking,  for,  if  he  were  anybody  else,  we  'd  be 
real  good  friends.  He  isn't  in  the  least  what  I 
thought  he  was.  I  hope  he  won't  come  over  be 
fore  tea.  It  would  be  awkward  enough.  But 


HETTY' 'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  83 

then,  he 's  got  to  take  all  his  meals  with  us  at 
'The  Runs.'  Oh,  dear!"  and  Hetty  went  about 
her  preparations  for  the  journey,  with  feelings  by 
no  means  of  unalloyed  pleasure. 

No  danger  of  Dr.  Eben's  coming  before  tea. 
It  was  very  late  when  he  appeared,  valise  in  hand, 
and  said  in  a  formal  tone  to  Hetty,  who  met  him 
at  the  door,  in  fact  had  been  nervously  watching 
for  him  for  four  whole  hours  : 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  see  you  still  up,  Miss 
Gunn.  I  ought  to  have  recollected  to  tell  you 
that  I  should  not  be  here  until  late  :  I  have  been 
saying  good-by  to  my  patients.  Will  you  have 
the  kindness  to  let  me  be  shown  to  my  room  ? " 
and  like  a  very  courteous  traveller,  awaiting 
a  landlady's  pleasure,  he  stood  at  foot  of  the 
stairs. 

With  some  confusion  of  manner,  and  in  a  con- 
strainedf  tone,  unlike  her  usual  cheery  voice, 
Hetty  replied: 

"The  next  door  to  Sally's,  doctor."  She 
wished  to  say  something  more,  but  she  could 
not  think  of  a  word. 

"What  a  fool  I  am!"  she  mentally  ejaculated, 
as  the  doctor,  with  a  hasty  "  good-night,"  entered 
his  room.  "  What  a  fool  I  am  to  let  him  make 
me  so  uncomfortable.  I  don't  see  what  it  is. 
I  wish  I  hadn't  asked  him  to  go." 


84  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"That  woman's  a  jewel!"  the  doctor  was 
saying  to  himself  the  other  side  of  the  door  : 
"  she  is  as  honest  as  a  man  could  be.  I  didn't 
know  there  could  be  any  thing  so  honest  in 
shape  of  a  woman  under  fifty :  she  doesn't 
look  a  day  over  twenty-five  ;  but,  they  say  she 's 
nearly  forty ;  it 's  the  strangest  thing  in  life 
she 's  never  married.  I  '11  wager  any  thing,  she 's 
wishing  this  minute  I  was  in  Guinea  ;  but  she  '11 
put  it  through  bravely  for  sake  of  Sally,  as  she 
calls  her,  and  I  '11  keep  out  of  her  way  all  I  can. 
If  it  weren't  for  the  confounded  notion  she's 
taken  up  against  me,  I  'd  like  to  know  her. 
She 's  a  woman  a  man  could  make  a  friend  of,  I 
do  believe,"  and  Dr.  Eben  jumped  into  bed,  and 
was  fast  asleep  in  five  minutes,  and  dreamed  that 
Hetty  came  towards  him,  dressed  like  an  Indian, 
with  her  brown  curls  stuck  full  of  painted  porcu 
pine  quills,  and  a  tomahawk  brandished  in  her 
hand. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  85 


VI. 


r  I  ""HE  journey  was  a  hard  one,  though  so 
short.  How  many  times  an  hour  did 
Hetty  bless  the  good  fortune  which  had  given 
them  Dr.  Williams  for  an  escort !  Sally  had  been 
so  much  excited  and  pleased  at  the  prospect 
of  the  trip  to  the  sea-shore,  that  she  had  seemed 
in  the  outset  far  stronger  than  she  really  was. 
Before  mid-day  a  reaction  had  set  in,  and  she 
had  grown  so  weak  that  the  doctor  was  evidently 
alarmed.  The  baby  disturbed,  and  frightened 
by  the  noise  and  jar,  had  wailed  almost  inces 
santly  ;  and  Hetty  was  more  nearly  at  her  wits' 
end  than  she  had  ever  been  in  her  life.  It  was 
piteous  to  see  her,  —  usually  so  brisk,  so  authori 
tative,  so  unhesitating,  —  looking  helplessly  into 
the  face  of  the  doctor,  and  saying : 

"  Oh,  what  shall  we  do !  what  shall  we  do  ! " 
At  last,  the  weary  day  came  to  an  end  ;  and 
when  Hetty  saw  her  two  sufferers  quietly  asleep 
in  snowy  beds,  in  a  great  airy  room,  with  a  blaz 
ing  log-fire  on  the  hearth,  she  drew  a  long 
breath,  and  said  to  the  doctor: 


86  HETTY "S  STXANGE  HISTORY. 

"  This  is  the  most  awful  day  I  ever  lived 
'  through." 

Dr.  Eben  smiled.  "  You  have  had  a  life 
singularly  free  from  troubles,  Miss  Gunn." 

"  No  ! "  said  Hetty,  "  I  've  had  a  great  deal. 
But  there  has  always  been  something  to  do. 
The  only  things  one  can't  bear,  it  seems  to  me, 
are  where  one  can't  do  any  thing,  like  to-day: 
that  poor  little  baby  crying,  crying,  and  nothing 
to  be  done,  but  to  wait  for  him  to  stop ;  and 
Sally  looking  as  if  she  would  die  any  minute; 
and  that  screaming  steam-engine  whirling  us  all 
along  as  if  we  were  only  dead  freight.  I  suppose 
if  Sally  had  died,  we  should  have  had  to  keep 
right  on,  shouldn't  we?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  doctor.  Something  in  his 
tone  arrested  Hetty's  ear.  She  looked  at  him 
inquiringly  ;  then  she  said  slowly  : 

"  I  understand  you.  I  am  ashamed.  We  were 
only  three  people  out  of  hundreds  :  it  is  just  like 
life,  isn't  it :  how  selfish  we  are  without  realizing 
it !  It  isn't  of  any  consequence  how  or  where  or 
when  any  one  of  us  dies :  the  train  must  keep 
right  on.  I  see." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  doctor  again  :  and  this  mono 
syllable  meant  even  more  than  the  other.  Dr. 
Eben  was  a  philosopher.  Epictetus,  and  that 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  87 

most  royal  of  royal  emperors,  Marcus  Aurelius, 
had  been  his  masters :  their  words  were  ever 
present  with  him.  "It  is  not  possible  that  the 
nature  of  the  universe,  either  through  want  of 
power  or  want  of  skill,  has  made  a  mistake ; " 
"  nothing  happens  to  any  man  which  he  is  not 
formed  by  nature  to  bear,"  —  were  hourly  watch 
words  of  thought  with  him.  In  this  regard  he 
and  Hetty  were  alike,  though  they  had  reached 
their  common  standpoint  by  different  roads  :  he 
by  education  and  reasoning,  and  a  profound 
admiration  for  the  ancient  classics ;  she  by 
instinct  and  healthfulness  of  soul,  and  a  pro 
found  love  for  that  old  Massachusetts  militia 
man,  her  grandfather. 

"The  Runs"  was,  as  Hetty  had  said,  one  of 
the  loveliest  of  sea-side  places.  Dr.  Eben,  who 
was  familiar  with  all  the  well-known  sea-side 
resorts  in  America,  was  forced  to  admit  that 
this  little  nook  had  a  charm  of  its  own,  unlike 
all  the  others.  The  epithet  "  hugged  in,"  which 
Hetty  had  used,  was  the  very  phrase  to  best 
convey  it.  It  was  at  the  mouth  of  a  small  river, 
which,  as  it  drew  near  the  sea,  widened  so  sud 
denly  that  it  looked  like  a  lake.  The  country, 
for  miles  about,  was  threaded  by  little  streams 
of  water :  which  of  them  were  sea  making  up, 


88  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

and  which  were  river  coming  down,  it  was  hard 
to  tell.  In  early  morning  they  were  blue  as  the 
sky  overhead  ;  at  sunset  they  glowed  like  a  fiery 
net,  suddenly  flung  over  the  grasses  and  rushes. 
Great  flocks  of  marsh  birds  dwelt  year  after 
year  in  these  cool,  green  labyrinths,  and  made  no 
small  part  of  the  changeful  beauty  of  the  picture, 
rising  sometimes,  suddenly,  in  a  dusky  cloud, 
and  floating  away,  soaring,  and  sinking,  and  at 
last  dropping  out  of  sight  again,  as  suddenly  as 
they  had  risen.  The  meadows  were  vivid  green 
in  June,  vivid  claret  in  October :  no  other  grass 
spreads  such  splendor  of  tint  on  so  superb  a 
palette,  as  the  salt-marsh  grasses  on  the  low, 
wide  stretches  of  some  of  New  England's  south 
ern  shores.  Sailing  down  this  river,  and  keeping 
close  to  the  left-hand  bank,  one  came  almost 
unawares  on  a  sharp  bend  to  the  left :  here  the 
river  suddenly  ended,  and  the  sea  began  ;  the 
rushes  and  reeds  and  high  grasses  ceased  ;  a 
low,  rocky  barrier  stayed  them.  Rounding  this 
point,  lo,  your  boat  swayed  instantly  to  the  left : 
a  gentle  surf-wave  took  possession  of  you,  and 
irresistibly  bore  you  towards  a  yellow  sand 
beach,  which  curved  inward  like  a  reaper's 
sickle,  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long, 
from  the  handle  to  the  shining  point ;  smooth 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  89 

and  glistening,  strewn  with  polished  pebbles 
and  tiny  shells,  it  seemed  some  half-hidden 
magic  beach  on  which  shallops  of  fairies  might 
any  moment  come  to  moor.  On  the  farther 
point,  so  close  to  the  sea  that  it  seemed  to  rise 
out  of  the  water,  stood  a  high  stone  lighthouse, 
with  a  revolving  light,  whose  rays  swept  the 
open  sea  for  many  miles.  The  opposite  river 
bank  was  a  much  higher  one,  and  ran  farther 
out  to  sea.  On  this  promontory  was  Safe 
Haven,  a  small,  thickly  settled  town,  whose 
spires  and  house-tops,  as  seen  from  the  beach  at 
"The  Runs,"  looked  always  like  a  picture, 
painted  on  the  sky ;  white  on  gray  in  the 
morning,  gray  on  crimson  at  sunset.  The 
farmhouse  of  which  we  have  spoken  stood  only 
a  few  rods  back  from  the  beach,  and  yet  it  had 
green  fields  on  either  hand  ;  and  a  row  of  Balm 
of  Gilead  trees  in  front ;  an  old  and  sandy  road, 
seldom  disturbed  by  wheels,  ran  between  these 
trees  and  the  house,  and  rambled  down  towards 
the  light-house.  Wild  pea  and  pimpernel  made 
this  road  gay  ;  white  clover  and  wild  rose  made 
it  fragrant ;  and  there  branched  off  from  it  a 
lane,  on  which  if  you  turned  and  strayed  back 
into  the  fields,  a  mile  or  so,  you  came  to  thick 
ets  of  wild  azalia,  and  tracts  of  pink  laurel ;  and, 


90  HETTY'S  STXAJVGE  HISTORY. 

a  little  way  farther  in,  you  came  to  fresh-water 
ponds  which  in  July  were  white  with  lilies.  No 
storm  ever  lashed  the  water  high  on  the  beach 
at  "  The  Runs  "  ;  no  sultriest  summer  calm  ever 
stilled  it;  the  even  rhythm  and  delightsome 
cooling  of  its  waves  seemed  to  obey  a  law  of 
their  own,  quite  independent  of  the  great  boom 
ing  sea  outside  the  light-house  bar. 

In  the  quiet,  and  the  beauty,  and  the  keen 
salt  air  of  this  charmed  spot,  poor  Sally  Little 
lifted  up  her  head,  and  began  to  live  again,  like 
a  flower  taken  from  desert  sands  and  set  by  a 
spring.  The  baby  also  bloomed  like  a  rose.  In 
an  incredibly  short  time,  both  mother  and  child 
had  so  altered  that  one  would  hardly  have 
known  them.  The  days  went  by,  to  them  all, 
as  days  go  by  for  ^children :  unnamed,  un 
counted  ;  only  marked  by  joy  of  sleep,  and  the 
delight  of  waking.  In  after  years,  when  Hetty 
looked  back  upon  these  weeks,  they  seemed  to 
her,  not  like  a  dream,  which  is  usually  the  heart's 
first  choice  of  a  phrase  to  describe  the  swift 
flight  of  a  happy  time,  but  like  a  few  days  spent 
on  some  other  planet,  where,  for  the  interval,  she 
had  been  changed  into  a  sort  of  supernatural 
child.  Except  at  night,  they  were  never  in  the 
house.  The  harsh  New  England  May  laid  aside 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  91 

for  them  all  its  treacheries,  and  was  indeed  the 
month  of  spring.  Their  mornings  they  spent 
on  the  water,  rowing  or  sailing ;  their  afternoons 
in  driving  through  the  budding  and  blossoming 
country.  Always  the  baby  lay  in  Hetty's  lap: 
from  the  beginning,  his  nurse  had  found  herself 
perpetually  set  aside  by  Hetty's  imperious  affec 
tion.  As  Eben  Williams  looked,  day  after  day, 
on  the  picture  which  Hetty  and  the  baby  made, 
he  found  himself  day  after  day  more  and  more 
bewildered  by  Hetty.  She  had  adopted  towards 
him  a  uniform  manner  of  cordial  familiarity, 
which  had  in  it,  however,  no  shade  of  intimacy. 
If  Hetty  had  been  the  veriest  coquette  living, 
she  could  not  have  devised  a  more  effectual 
charm  to  a  man  of  Eben  Williams's  temperament. 
He  had  come  out  unscathed  from  many  sieges 
which  had  been  laid  to  him  by  women.  He 
knew  very  well  the  ordinary  methods,  the 
atmosphere  of  the  average  wooing  or  wooable 
woman,  and  he  was  proof  against  them  all.  He 
was  thirty  years  old  and  he  had  never  yet  been 
in  love.  But  this  woman,  who  treated  him  with 
the  same  easy,  unconscious  frankness  with 
which  men  treat  men,  who  never  seemed  to 
observe  his  going  or  his  coming,  otherwise  than 
as  it  might  affect  her  friend's  need  of  him  as  a 


92  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY, 

physician ;  this  woman  who  seemed  all  mother 
while  she  was  holding  the  baby,  and  all  boy 
while  she  was  trying,  under  old  Captain  May- 
hew's  guidance  to  learn  to  sail  a  boat ;  this 
woman  who  was  a  spinster  in  years,  and  a  child 
in  simplicity  and  directness  ;  who  was  beautiful, 
and  never  once  thought  of  her  beauty  ;  who  was 
alone,  and  never  seemed  lonely :  she  was  a  per 
petual  problem  and  fascination  to  him.  Dr. 
Eben  was  not  usually  given  to  concerning  him 
self  much  as  to  other  people's  opinion  of  him  : 
but  he  found  Himself  for  ever  wondering  what 
Hetty  Gunn  thought  of  him  ;  whether  she  were 
beginning  to  lose  any  of  her  old  prejudice 
against  him  ;  and  whether,  after  this  seaside  idyl 
weie  over,  he  should  ever  see  her  again.  The 
more  he  pondered,  the  less  he  could  solve  the 
question.  No  wonder.  The  simple  truth  was 
that  Hetty  was  not  thinking  about  him  at  all. 
She  had  accepted  the  whole  situation  with 
frankness  and  good  sense  :  she  found  him  kind, 
helpful,  cheery,  and  entertaining  ;  the  embarrass 
ments  she  had  feared,  did  not  arise,  and  she  was 
very  glad  of  it.  She  often  said  to  herself: 
"The  doctor  is  very  sensible.  He  does  not 
show  any  foolish  feeling  of  resentment ; "  and  she 
felt  a  sincere  and  increasing  gratitude  to  him, 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  93 

because  Sally  and  her  child  were  fast  regaining 
health  under  his  care.  But,  beyond  this,  Hetty 
did  not  occupy  her  thoughts  with  Dr.  Eben.  It 
had  never  been  her  way  to  think  about  men, 
as  most  women  think  about  them :  good  com 
radeship  seemed  to  be  all  that  she  was  capable 
of  towards  a  man.  Dr.  Eben  said  this  to  himself 
hundreds  of  times  each  day  ;  and  then  hundreds 
of  other  times  each  day,  as  he  watched  the 
looks  which  she  bent  on  the  baby  in  her  arms, 
he  knew  that  he  had  said  what  was  not  true ;  that 
there  must  be  unstirred  depths  in  her  nature, 
which  only  the  great  forces  of  love  could  move. 
All  this  time  Dr.  Eben  fancied  that  he  was 
simply  analyzing  Hetty  as  a  psychological  study. 
He  would  have  admitted  frankly  to  any  one,  that 
she  interested  him  more  than  any  woman  he 
had  ever  seen,  puzzled  him  more,  occupied  his 
thoughts  more  ;  but  that  he  could  be  in  love  with 
this  rather  eccentric  middle-aged  woman,  beau 
tiful  though  she  was,  Dr.  Eben  would  have 
warmly  denied.  His  ideal  maiden,  the  woman 
whom  he  had  been  for  ten  years  confidently 
expecting  some  day  to  find,  woo,  and  win,  was 
quite  unlike  Hetty ;  unlike  even  what  Hetty 
must  have  been  in  her  youth :  she  was  to  be 
slender  and  graceful ;  gentle  as  a  dove  ;  vivacious, 


94  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

but  in  no  wise  opinionated,  gracious  and  suave 
and  versed  in  all  elegancies  ;  cultured  too,  and  of 
a  rare,  fine  wit :  so  easy  is  it  for  the  heart  to 
garnish  its  unfilled  chambers,  and  picture  forth  the 
sort  of  guest  it  will  choose  to  entertain.  Mean 
while,  by  doors  which  the  heart  knows  not  of, 
quietly  enters  a  guest  of  quite  different  pres 
ence,  takes  up  abode,  is  lodged  and  fed  by 
angels,  till  grown  a  very  monarch  in  possession 
and  control,  it  suddenly  surprises  the  heart  into 
an  absolute  and  unconditional  allegiance  ;  and 
this  is  like  what  the  apostle  meant,  when  he 
said,  — 

"The  kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  by  ob 
servation." 

When  Hetty  said  to  Dr.  Eben,  one  night,  "  I 
really  think  we  must  go  home.  Sally  seems 
perfectly  well,  and  baby  too :  do  you  not  think 
it  will  be  quite  safe  to  take  them  back  ? "  he 
gave  an  actual  start,  and  colored.  Professionally, 
Dr.  Eben  was  more  ashamed  of  himself  in  that 
instant  than  he  had  ever  been  in  his  life.  He 
had  absolutely  forgotten,  for  many  days,  that  it 
was  in  the  capacity  of  a  physician  that  he  was 
living  on  this  shore  of  the  sea.  They  had  been 
at  "  The  Runs  "  now  two  months  ;  and,  except  in 
his  weekly  visits  to  Lonway  Corners,  he  had 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  95 

hardly  recollected  that  he  was  a  physician  at 
all.  The  sea  and  the  wind  had  been  Sally's  real 
physicians,  and  the  baby's  ;  and  as  for  the  other 
two,  in  the  happy  quartette,  had  they  needed 
a  physician  ?  Perhaps ;  but  no  physician  was 
there  for  them. 

"Certainly!  certainly!"  he  stammered,  "it  will 
be  safe  ; "  and  his  face  grew  redder  and  redder, 
as  he  spoke.  Hetty  looked  at  him  in  honest 
amazement.  She  could  put  but  one  interpreta 
tion  qn  his  manner. 

"  Why,  there  is  no  need  of  our  going  yet,  if  it 
isn't  best.  Don't  look  so  !  Sally  can  stay  here 
all  summer  if  it  will  do  her  good." 

"You  misunderstood  me,  Miss  Gunn,"  said 
the  doctor,  now  himself  again.  "  It  will  really 
be  perfectly  safe  for  Mrs.  Little  to  go  home. 
She  is  entirely  well." 

"  What  did  you  mean  then  ? "  said  Hetty, 
looking  him  straight  in  the  eye  with  honest 
perplexity  in  her  face.  "  You  looked  as  if  you 
didn't  think  it  best  to  go." 

"No,  Mjss  Gunn,"  replied  Dr.  Eben.  "I 
looked  as  if  I  did  not  want  to  go.  It  has  been 
so  pleasant  here  :  that  was  all." 

"Oh,"  said  Hetty,  in  a  relieved  tone,  "was 
that  it?  I  feel  just  so,  too:  it  has  been  de- 


96  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

lightful ;  it  is  the  only  real  play-spell  I  ever  had 
in  my  life.  But  for  all  that  I  'm  really  impatient 
to  get  home  :  they  need  me  on  the  farm ;  the 
men  have  not  been  doing  just  as  they  ought  to. 
Jim  Little  is  all  right  when  I  'm  there  ;  but  they 
take  advantage  of  him  when  I  'm  away.  I  really 
must  get  home  before  haying.  I  think  we  must 
certainly  go  some  day  next  week." 

Dr.  Eben  was  just  going  over  to  town  for  the 
letters.  As  he  walked  slowly  down  to  the  beach, 
he  said  to  himself  : 

"  Haying  !  By  Jove  !  "  and  this  was  pretty 
much  all  he  thought  during  the  whole  of  the 
hour  that  he  spent  in  rowing  to  and  from  the 
Safe  Haven  wharf.  "  Haying ! "  he  ejaculated 
again,  and  again.  "  What  a  woman  that  is  !  I 
believe  if  we  were  all  dead,  she'd  have  just  as 
keen  an  eye  to  that  haying  !  " 

By  "  we  all "  in  that  sentence  of  his  soliloquy, 
Dr.  Eben  really  meant  "  I."  He  was  beginning 
to  be  half  aware  of  a  personal  unhappiness,  be 
cause  Hetty  showed  no  more  consciousness  of 
his  existence.  Her  few  words  thjs  morning 
about  returning  home  had  produced  startling 
results  in  his  mind  ;  like  those  a  chemist  some 
times  sees  in  his  crucible,  when,  on  throwing 
in  a  single  drop  of  some  powerful  agent,  he  dis- 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  97 

covers  by  its  instantaneous  and  infallible  test, 
the  presence  of  things  he  had  not  suspected  were 
there.  Dr.  Eben  Williams  clenched  his  hands 
as  he  paced  up  and  down  the  beach.  He  did 
not  wish  to  love  Hetty  Gunn.  He  did  not 
approve  of  loving  Hetty  Gunn  ;  but  love  her  he 
did  with  the  whole  strength  of  his  soul.  In  this 
one  brief  hour,  he  had  become  aware  of  it.  What 
would  be  its  result,  in  vain  he  tried  to  conjecture. 
One  moment,  he  said  to  himself  that  it  was  not 
in  Hetty's  nature  to  love  any  man  ;  the  next 
moment,  with  a  lover's  inconsistency,  he  re 
proached  himself  for  a  thought  so  unjust  to  her  : 
one  moment,  he  rated  himself  soundly  for  his 
weakness,  and  told  himself  sternly  that  it  was 
plain  Hetty  cared  no  more  for  him  than  she  did 
for  one  of  her  farm  laborers  ;  the  next  moment, 
he  fell  into  reverie  full  of  a  vague  and  hopeful 
recalling  of  all  the  kind  and  familiar  things  she 
had  ever  done  or  said.  The  sum  and  substance 
of  his  meditations  was,  however,  that  nothing 
should  lead  him  to  commit  the  folly  of  asking 
Hetty  to  marry  him,  unless  her  present  manner 
toward  him  changed. 

"  I  dare  say  she  would  laugh  in  my  face," 
thought  he ;  "I  don't  know  but  that  she  would  in 
any  man's  face  who  should  ask  her,"  and,  armed 

7 


98  HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

and  panoplied  in  this  resolution,  Dr.  Eben 
walked  up  to  the  spot  where  Hetty  sat  under 
one  of  the  old  Balm  of  Gilead  trees  sewing,  with 
the  baby  in  its  cradle  at  her  feet.  It  was  still 
early  morning  :  the  Safe  Haven  spires  shone  in 
the  sun,  and  the  little  fishing  schooners  were 
racing  out  to  sea  before  the  wind.  This  was 
one  of  the  prettiest  sights  from  the  beach  at 
"The  Runs."  Every  morning  scores  of  little 
fishing  vessels  came  down  the  river,  shot  past 
like  arrows,  and  disappeared  beyond  the  bar. 
At  night  they  came  home  again  slowly ;  some 
times  with  their  sails  cross-set,  which  made 
them  look  like  great  white  butterflies  skimming 
the  water.  Hetty  never  wearied  of  watching 
them :  still  pictures  never  wholly  pleased  her. 
The  things  in  nature  which  had  motion,  evident 
aim,  purpose,  arrested  her  eye,  and  gave  her 
delight. 

"  I  haven't  learned  to  sail  a  boat  yet,  after  all," 
she  said  regretfully,  as  the  doctor  came  up. 
"  Only  see  how  lovely  they  are.  I  wish  I  could 
buy  this  whole  place,  and  carry  it  home.  I  think 
we  will  all  come  here  again  next  summer." 

"  Not  all,"  said  Dr.  Eben  ;  "  I  shall  not  be 
here  with  you." 

"  No,  I  hope  not,"  replied  Hetty,  unconsciously. 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.  99 

Dr.  Eben  laughed  outright :  her  tone  was  so 
unaffectedly  honest. 

"  Oh,  you  know  what  I  mean,"  exclaimed  Hetty, 
"  I  mean,  I  hope  Sally  will  not  have  to  bring  you 
as  a  physician.  Of  course,  there  is  nothing  to 
hinder  your  coming  here  at  any  time,  if  you 
like,"  she  added,  in  a  kindly  but  indifferent  tone. 

"  But  I  should  not  want  to  come  alone,"  said 
the  doctor. 

"  No,"  said  Hetty,  reflectively.  "  It  would  be 
dull,  I  shouldn't  like  it  myself,  to  be  here  all 
alone.  The  sea  is  the  loneliest  of  things  in  the 
universe,  I  think.  The  fields  and  the  woods  and 
the  hills  all  look  as  if  they  had  good  fellowship 
with  each  other  perpetually;  but  the  great, 
blank,  bare  sea,  looks  for  ever  alone  ;  and  some 
times  the  waves  seem  to  me  to  run  up  on  the 
shore  as  fiercely  as  starved  wolves  leaping  on 
prey!" 

"  Not  on  this  little  comfortable  beach,  though," 
said  Dr.  Eben. 

"  Oh,  no ! "  replied  Hetty,  "  I  did  not  mean  such 
sea-shore  as  this.  But  even  here,  I  should  find 
it  sad  if  I  were  alone." 

"  All  places  are  sad  if  one  is  alone,  Miss 
Gunn,"  replied  the  doctor,  in  a  pensive  tone, 
rare  with  him. 


100        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

Hetty  turned  a  surprised  glance  at  him,  and 
did  not  speak  for  a  moment.  Then  she  said  : 

"  Yes  ;  but  nobody  need  be  alone :  there  are 
always  plenty  of  people  to  take  into  one's  house, 
If  you  are  lonely,  why  don't  you  get  somebody 
to  live  with  you,  or  you  might  be  married,"  she 
added,  in  as  purely  matter-of-fact  a  tone,  as  she 
would  have  said,  "you  might  take  a  jour 
ney,"  or  "you  might  build  on  a  wing  to  your 
house." 

This  suggestion  sounded  oddly  enough,  com 
ing  so  soon  from  the  lips  of  the  woman  whom 
the  doctor  had  just  been  ardently  wishing  he 
could  marry ;  but  its  cool  and  unembarrassed 
tone  was  sufficient  to  corroborate  his  utmost 
disheartenment. 

"  Ah  ! "  he  thought,  "  I  knew  she  didn't  care 
any  thing  for  me ! "  and  he  fell  into  a  silent 
brown  study  which  Hetty  did  not  attempt  to 
break.  This  was  one  among  her  many  charms 
to  Dr.  Eben,  that  she  was  capable  of  sitting 
quietly  by  a  person's  side  for  long  intervals  oi 
silence.  The  average  woman,  when  she  is  in 
the  company  of  even  a  single  person,  seems  to 
consider  herself  derelict  in  duty,  if  conversation 
is  not  what  she  calls  "  kept  up  ; "  an  instinctive 
phrase,  which,  by  its  universal  use,  is  the  bit- 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         IOI 

terest  comment  on  its  own  significance.  Men 
have  no  such  feeling.  Two  men  will  sit  by  each 
other's  side,  it  may  be  for  hours,  in  silence,  and 
feel  no  derogation  from  good  comradeship.  Why 
should  not  women  ?  The  answer  is  too  evident. 
Women  have  a  perpetual  craving  to  be  recog 
nized,  to  be  admired  ;  and  a  large  part  of  their 
ceaseless  chatter  is  no  more  nor  less  than  a 
surface  device  to  call  your  attention  to  them  ; 
as  little  children  continually  pull  your  gown  to 
make  you  look  at  them.  Hetty  was  incapable  of 
this.  She  was  a  vivacious  talker  when  she  had 
any  thing  to  say ;  but  a  most  dogged  holder 
of  her  tongue  when  she  had  not.  In  this  in 
stance  she  had  nothing  to  say,  and  she  did  not 
speak :  the  doctor  had  so  much  to  say  that 
he  did  not  speak,  and  they  sat  in  silence  till  the 
shrill  bell  from  the  farm-house  door  called  them 
to  dinner.  As  they  walked  slowly  up  to  the 
house,  the  doctor  said  : 

"  You  don't  wonder  that  I  hate  to  go  away 
from  this  lovely  place,  do  you,  Miss  Gunn  ?  " 

Any  other  woman  but  Hetty  would  have  felt 
something  which  was  in  his  tone,  though  not  in 
his  words.  But  Hetty  answered  bluntly  : 

"  Yes,  I  do  wonder;  it  is  very  lovely  here  :  but 
I  should  think  you  'd  want  to  be  at  work  ;  I  do. 


102         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

I  think  we  've  had  play-spell  enough  ;  for,  after 
all,  it  hasn't  been  any  thing  but  play-spell  for  you 
and  me." 

"Now  she  despises  me,"  thought  poor  Dr. 
Eben.  "  She  hasn't  any  tolerance  in  her,  any 
how,"  and  he  was  grave  and  preoccupied  all 
through  dinner. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         103 


VII. 

TT  was  settled  that  they  should   set  out  for 
home  a  week  from  that  day.     "  Only  seven 
days  left,"  said  the  doctor.     "  What  can  I  do  in 
that  time?" 

Never  was  man  so  baffled  in  attempts  to  woo. 
Hetty  saw  nothing,  heard  nothing,  understood 
nothing ;  unwittingly  she  defeated  every  project 
he  made  for  seeing  her  alone ;  unconsciously  she 
chilled  and  dampened  and  arrested  every  impulse 
he  had  to  speak  to  her,  till  Dr.  Eben's  temper 
was  tried  as  well  as  his  love.  Sally,  the  baby, 
the  nurse,  all  three,  were  simply  a  wall  of  pro 
tection  around  Hetty.  Her  eyes,  her  ears,  her 
hands  were  full ;  and  as  for  her  heart  and  soul, 
they  were  walled  about  even  better  than  her 
body.  Nothing  can  be  such  a  barrier  to  love's 
approach  as  an  honest  nature's  honest  uncon 
sciousness.  Dr.  Eben  was  wellnigh  beside  him 
self.  The  days  flew  by.  He  had  done  nothing, 
gained  nothing.  How  he  cursed  his  folly  in  hav- 


104         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

ing  let  two  whole  months  slip  away,  before  he 
found  out  that  he  loved  this  woman,  whom  now 
he  could  no  more  hope  to  impress  in  a  few  hours' 
time  than  a  late  afternoon  sun  might  think  to 
melt  an  iceberg. 

"  It  would  take  a  man  a  lifetime  to  make  her 
understand  that  he  loved  her,"  groaned  the  doc 
tor,  "  and  I  've  only  got  two  days ; "  and  more 
than  ever  his  anxiety  deepened  as  he  wondered 
whether,  after  they  returned  home,  she  would 
allow  him  to  continue  these  friendly  and  familiar 
relations.  This  uncertainty  led  to  a  most  unfor 
tunate  precipitation  on  his  part.  The  night  be 
fore  they  were  to  go,  he  found  Hetty  at  sunset 
sitting  under  the  trees,  and  looking  dreamily  out 
to  sea.  Her  attitude  and  her  look  were  pensive. 
He  had  never  seen  such  an  expression  on  Het 
ty's  face  or  figure,  and  it  gave  him  a  warmer 
yearning  towards  her  than  he  had  ever  yet  dared 
to  let  himself  feel.  It  was  just  time  for  the 
lamp  in  the  lighthouse  to  be  lit,  and  Hetty  was 
watching  for  it.  As  the  doctor  approached  her, 
she  said,  "I  am  waiting  for  the  lighthouse  light 
to  flash  out.  I  like  so  to  see  its  first  ray.  It  is 
like  seeing  a  new  planet  made."  Dr.  Eben  sat 
down  by  her  side,  and  they  both  waited  in  silence 
for  the  light.  The  whole  western  and  southern 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         105 

sky  glowed  red ;  a  high  wind  had  been  blowing 
all  day,  and  the  water  was  covered  with  foamy 
white  caps  ;  the  tall,  slender  obelisk  of  the  light 
house  stood  out  black  against  the  red  sky,  and 
the  shining  waves  leaped  up  and  broke  about  its 
base.  But  all  was  quiet  in  the  sheltered  curve 
of  the  beach  on  which  Hetty  and  Dr.  Eben  were 
sitting :  the  low  surf  rose  and  fell  as  gently  as 
if  it  had  a  tide  of  its  own,  which  no  storm  could 
touch.  Presently  the  bright  light  flashed  from 
the  tower,  shone  one  moment  on  the  water  of  the 
river's  mouth,  then  was  gone. 

"  Now  it  is  lighting  the  open  sea,"  said  Hetty. 
In  a  few  moments  more  the  lantern  had  swung 
round,  and  again  the  bright  rays  streamed  to 
wards  the  beach,  almost  reaching  the  shore. 

"  And  now  it  is  lighting  us,"  said  Dr.  Eben : 
"  I  wish  it  were  as  easy  to  get  light  upon  one's 
path  in  life,  as  it  is  to  hang  a  lantern  in  a  tower." 

Hetty  laughed. 

"Are  you  often  puzzled?"  she  asked  lightly. 

"  No,"  said  the  doctor,  "  I  never  have  been, 
but  I  am  now." 

"  What  about  ? "  asked  Hetty,  innocently :  "  I 
don't  see  what  there  is  to  puzzle  you  here." 

"  You,  Miss  Gunn,"  stoutly  answered  Dr.  Eben, 
feeling  as  if  he  were  taking  a  header  into  un- 
fathomed  waters. 


106        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  Me !  "  exclaimed  Hetty,  in  a  tone  of  utmost 
surprise.  "  Why,  what  do  you  mean  ? " 

Dr.  Eben  hesitated  a  single  instant.  He  had 
not  intended  to  do  this  thing,  but  the  occasion 
had  been  too  much  for  him.  "  I  may  as  well  do 
it  first  as  last,"  he  said  ;  "  she  can  but  refuse  me  : " 
and,  in  a  very  few  manly  words,  Dr.  Eben  Wil 
liams  straightway  asked  Hetty  Gunn  to  marry 
him.  He  was  not  prepared  for  what  followed, 
although  in  a  soliloquy,  only  a  few  days  before, 
he  had  predicted  it  to  himself.  Hetty  laughed 
merrily,  unaffectedly,  in  his  very  face. 

"  Why,  Dr.  Williams  ! "  she  said,  "  you  can't 
know  what  you  're  saying.  You  can't  want  to 
marry  me :  I  'm  not  the  sort  of  woman  men  want 
to  marry  " — 

He  interrupted  her.  His  voice  was  husky 
with  deep  feeling. 

"  Miss  Gunn,"  he  said,  "  I  implore  you  not  to 
speak  in  this  way.  I  do  know  what  I  am  saying, 
and  I  do  love  you  with  all  my  heart." 

"  Nonsense,"  answered  Hetty  in  the  kindliest 
of  tones ;  "  of  course  you  think  you  do :  but  it 
is  only  because  you  have  been  shut  up  here  two 
whole  months,  with  nothing  else  to  do  but  fancy 
that  you  were  in  love.  I  told  you  it  was  time 
we  went  home.  Don't  say  any  thing  more  about 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         IO/ 

it.  I  '11  promise  you  to  forget  it  all,"  and  Hetty 
laughed  again,  a  merry  little  laugh.  A  sharp 
suspicion  crossed  the  doctor's  mind  that  she 
was  coquetting  with  him.  In  a  constrained  tone 
he  said : 

"  Miss  Gunn,  do  you  really  wish  me  to  under 
stand  that  you  reject  me  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Hetty,  gayly.  "  I  wish  you 
to  understand  that  I  haven't  permitted  you  to 
offer  yourself.  I  have  simply  assured  you  that 
you  are  mistaken :  you  '11  see  it  for  yourself  as 
soon  as  we  get  home.  Do  you  suppose  I 
shouldn't  know  if  you  were  really  in  love  with 
me  ? " 

"  I  didn't  know  it  myself  till  a  week  ago,"  re 
plied  Dr.  Eben  :  "  I  did  not  understand  myself. 
I  never  loved  any  woman  before." 

"  And  no  man  ever  asked  me  to  marry  him 
before,"  answered  the  honest  Hetty,  like  a  child, 
and  with  an  amused  tone  in  her  voice.  "  It  is 
very  odd,  isn't  it  ?" 

Dr.  Eben  was  confounded.  In  spite  of  himself, 
he  felt  the  contagion  of  Hetty's  merry  and  un 
sentimental  view  of  the  situation  ;  and  it  was  with 
a  trace  of  obstinacy  rather  than  of  a  lover's  pain 
in  his  tones  that  he  continued  : 

"  But,  Miss  Gunn,  indeed  you  must  not  make 


108         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

light  of  this  matter  in  this  way.  It  is  not  treat 
ing  me  fairly.  With  all  the  love  of  a  man's 
heart  I  love  you,  and  have  asked  you  to  be  my 
wife :  are  you  sure  that  you  could  not  love 
me  ? " 

"I  don't  really  think  I  could,"  said  Hetty; 
*'  but  I  shall  not  try,  because  I  am  sure  you  are 
mistaken.  I  am  too  old  to  be  married,  for  one 
thing  :  I  shall  be  thirty-seven  in  the  fall.  That 's 
reason  enough,  if  there  were  no  other.  A  man 
can't  fall  in  love  with  a  woman  after  she 's  as  old 
as  that." 

Dr.  Eben  laughed  outright.  He  could  not 
help  it. 

"  There  ! "  said  Hetty,  triumphantly  ;  "  that 's 
right ;  I  like  to  hear  you  laugh  now  ;  for  good 
ness'  sake,  let 's  forget  all  this.  I  will,  if  you  will ; 
and  we  will  be  all  the  better  friends  for  it  per 
haps.  At  any  rate,  you  '11  be  all  the  more  friend 
to  me  for  having  saved  you  from  making  such  a 
blunder  as  thinking  you  were  in  love  with  me." 

Dr.  Eben  was  on  the  point  of  persisting 
farther  ;  but  he  suddenly  thought  to  himself : 

"  I  'd  better  not :  I  might  make  her  angry. 
I  '11  take  the  friendship  platform  for  the  present : 
that  is  some  gain." 

"  You  will  permit  me  then  to  be  your  friend, 
Miss  Gunn,"  he  said. 


HETTY1  S  STRANGE  HISTORY.          109 

"  Why,  certainly,"  said  Hetty,  in  a  matter-of- 
fact  way :  "  I  thought  we  were  very  good  friends 
now." 

"But  you  recollect,  you  distinctly  told  me 
I  was  to  come  only  as  physician  to  Mrs.  Little," 
retorted  the  doctor. 

Hetty  colored  :  the  darkness  sheltered  her. 

"  Oh  !  that  was  a  long  time  ago,"  she  said  in  a 
remorseful  tone :  "  I  should  be  very  ungrateful 
if  I  had  not  forgotten  that." 

And  with  this  Dr.  Eben  was  forced  to  be  con 
tented.  When  he  thought  the  whole  thing  over, 
he  admitted  to  himself  that  he  had  fared  as  well 
as  he  had  a  right  to  expect,  and  that  he  had 
gained  a  very  sure  vantage,  in  having  committed 
the  loyal  Hetty  to  the  assertion  that  they  were 
friends.  He  half  dreaded  to  see  her  the  next 
morning,  lest  there  should  be  some  change,  some 
constraint  in  her  manner  ;  not  a  shade  of  it. 
He  could  have  almost  doubted  his  own  recol 
lections  of  the  evening  before,  if  such  a  thing 
had  been  possible,  so  absolutely  unaltered  was 
Hetty's  treatment  of  him.  She  had  been  abso 
lutely  honest  in  all  she  said :  she  did  honestly 
believe  that  his  fancied  love  for  her  was  a  senti 
mental  mistake,  a  caprice  born  of  idleness  and 
lack  of  occupation,  and  she  did  honestly  intend 


1 10        HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

to  forget  the  whole  thing,  and  to  make  him 
forget  it.  And  so  they  went  back  to  the  farm, 
where  the  summer  awaited  them  with  overflow 
ing  harvests  of  every  thing,  and  Hetty's  hands 
were  so  full  that  very  soon  she  had  almost  ceased 
to  recollect  the  life  at  "  The  Runs."  Sally  and 
the  baby  were  strong  and  well.  The  whole 
family  seemed  newly  glad  and  full  of  life.  All 
odd  hours  they  could  snatch  from  work,  Old 
Caesar  and  Nan  roamed  about  in  the  sun,  follow 
ing  the  baby,  as  his  nurse  carried  him  in  her 
arms.  He  had  been  christened  Abraham  Gunn 
Little ;  poor  James  Little  having  persistently 
refused  to  let  his  own  name  be  given  to  the 
child,  and  Hetty  having  been  cordially  willing  to 
give  her  father's.  To  speak  to  a  baby  as  Abra 
ham  was  manifestly  impossible,  and  the  little 
fellow  was  called  simply  "  Baby "  month  after 
month,  until,  one  day,  one  of  Norah's  toddlers, 
who  could  not  speak  plain,  hit  upon  a  nick 
name  so  fortunate  that  it  was  at  once  adopted 
by  everybody.  "  Raby,"  little  Mike  called  him, 
by  some  original  process  of  compounding  "  Abra 
ham  "  and  "  Baby  ; "  and  "  Raby  "  he  was  from 
that  day  out.  He  was  a  beautiful  child :  his 
mother's  blue  eyes,  his  father's  dark  hair,  and  a 
skin  like  a  ripe  peach,  but  not  over  fair,  —  made 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         Ill 

a  combination  of  color  which  was  rarely  lovely. 
He  was  a  joyous  child,  as  joyous  as  if  no  shadow 
had  ever  rested  on  his  mother's  heart.  Sally 
watched  him  day  by  day  with  delight ;  but  the 
delight  was  never  wholly  free  from  pain  :  the 
wound  she  had  received,  the  wound  she  had  in 
flicted  on  herself,  could  never  wholly  heal.  A 
deep,  moral  hurt  must  for  ever  leave  its  trace,  as 
surely  as  a  deep  wound  in  a  man's  flesh  must  leave 
its  scar.  It  is  of  no  use  for  us  to  think  to  evade 
this  law ;  neither  is  it  a  law  wholly  of  retribution. 
The  scar  on  the  flesh  is  token  of  nature's  process 
of  healing :  so  is  the  scar  of  a  perpetual  sorrow, 
which  is  left  on  a  soul  which  has  sinned  and  re 
pented.  Sally  and  Jim  were  leading  healthful 
and  good  lives  now ;  and  each  day  brought  them 
joys  and  satisfactions :  but  their  souls  were 
scarred  ;  the  fulness  of  joy  which  might  have 
been  theirs  they  could  never  taste.  And  the 
loss  fell  where  it  could  never  be  overlooked  for 
a  moment,  —  on  their  joy  in  their  child.  In 
the  very  holiest  of  holies,  in  the  temple  of  the 
mother's  heart,  stood  for  ever  a  veiled  shape,  mak 
ing  ceaseless  sin-offering  for  the  past. 

As  the  winter  set  in,  an  anxiety  fell  on  the 
family  which  had  passed  so  sunny  a  summer. 
With  the  first  sharp  cold  winds,  little  Raby  de- 


112        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

veloped  a  tendency  to  croup.  Neither  Sally  nor 
Hetty  had  ever  seen  a  case  of  this  terrible  and 
alarming  disease ;  and,  in  Raby's  first  attack  of  it, 
they  had  both  thought  the  child  dying.  Now  was 
Doctor  Eben  brought  again  into  close  and  inti 
mate  relations  with  Hetty.  During  the  months  of 
the  summer,  he  had,  in  spite  of  all  his  efforts,  in 
spite  of  his  frequent  visits  to  her  house,  in  spite 
of  all  Hetty's  frank  cordiality  of  manner,  felt 
himself  slowly  slipping  away  from  the  vantage- 
ground  he  hoped  he  had  gained  with  her.  This 
was  the  result  of  two  things,  —  one  which  he 
knew,  and  one  which  he  did  not  dream  of :  the 
cause  which  he  knew,  was  a  very  simple  and 
evident  one,  Hetty's  constant  preoccupation. 
Hetty  was  a  very  busy  woman  :  what  with  Raby, 
the  farm,  the  house,  her  social  relations  with  the 
whole  village,  she  had  never  a  moment  of  lei 
sure.  Often  when  Dr.  Eben  came  to  the  house, 
he  found  her  away ;  and  often  when  he  found 
her  at  home,  she  was  called  away  before  he 
had  talked  with  her  half  an  hour.  The  other 
reason,  which,  if  Dr.  Eben  had  only  known  it, 
would  have  more  than  comforted  him  for  all  he 
felt  he  had  lost  on  the  surface,  was  that  Hetty,  in 
the  bottom  of  her  heart,  was  slowly  growing  con 
scious  that  she  cared  a  great  deal  about  him. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.          113 

No  woman,  whatever  she  may  say  and  honestly 
mean,  can  entirely  dismiss  from  her  thoughts 
the  memory  of  the  words  in  which  a  man  has 
told  her  he  loves  her.  Especially  is  this  true 
when  those  words  are  the  first  words  of  love 
which  have  ever  been  spoken  to  her.  Morning 
and  night,  as  Hetty  came  and  went,  in  her  brisk 
cheery  way,  in  and  out  of  the  house  and  about 
the  farm,  she  wore  a  new  look  on  her  face.  The 
words,  "  I  love  you  with  all  my  heart,"  haunted 
her.  She  did  not  believe  them  any  more  now 
than  before ;  but  they  had  a  very  sweet  sound. 
She  was  no  nearer  now  than  then  to  any  im 
pulse  to  take  Dr.  Williams  at  his  word  :  nothing 
could  be  deeper  implanted  in  a  soul  than  the  con 
viction  was  in  Hetty's  that  no  man  was  likely 
to  love  her.  But  she  was  no  longer  so  sure  that 
she  herself  could  not  love.  Vague  and  wistful 
reveries  began  to  interrupt  her  activity.  She 
would  stand  sometimes,  with  her  arms  folded, 
leaning  on  a  stile,  and  idly  watching  her  men  at 
work,  till  they  wondered  what  had  happened  to 
their  mistress.  She  lost  a  little  of  the  color  from 
her  cheeks,  and  the  full  moulded  lines  of  her 
chin  grew  sharper. 

"  Faith,  an'  Miss  Hetty 's  goin'  off,  sooner  'n 
she 's  any  right  to,"  said  Mike  to  Norah  one  day. 
3 


114         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  What  puts  such  a  notion  in  your  head  thin, 
Mike?"  retorted  Norah,  "sure  she's  as  foine  a 
crayther  as's  in  all  the  county,  an'  foiner  too." 

"  Foine  enough,  but  I  say  for  all  that  that 
she 's  a  goin'  off  in  her  looks  mighty  fast,"  replied 
the  keen-eyed  Mike.  "  You  don't  think  she  'd  be 
a  pinin'  for  anybody,  do  you  ? " 

Norah  gave  a  hearty  Irish  laugh. 

"  Miss  Hetty  a  pinin' ! "  she  repeated  over  and 
over  with  bursts  of  merriment : 

"Ah,  but  yez  are  all  alike,  ye  men.  Miss 
Hetty  a  pinin' !  I  'd  like  to  see  the  man  Miss 
Hetty  wud  pine  fur." 

Mike  and  Norah  were  both  right.  There  was 
no  "pining"  in  Hetty's  busy  and  sensible  soul; 
but  there  had  been  planted  in  it  a  germ  of  new 
life,  whose  slow  quickening  and  growth  were 
perplexing  and  disturbing  elements  :  not  as  yet 
did  she  recognize  them ;  she  only  felt  the  dis 
turbance,  and  its  link  with  Dr.  Eben  was  suffi 
ciently  clear  to  make  her  manner  to  him  undergo 
an  indefinable  change.  It  was  no  less  cordial,  no 
less  frank :  you  could  not  have  said  where  the 
change  was  ;  but  it  was  there,  and  he  felt  it.  He 
ought  to  have  understood  it  and  taken  heart. 
But  he  was  ignorant  like  Hetty,  only  felt  the 
disturbance,  and  taking  counsel  of  his  fears  be- 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.          11$ 

lieved  that  things  were  going  wrong.  Sometimes 
he  would  stay  away  for  many  days,  and  then 
watch  closely  Hetty's  manner  when  they  met. 
Never  a  trace  of  resentment  or  even  wonder  at 
his  absence.  Sometimes  he  would  go  there  daily 
for  an  interval ;  never  a  trace  of  expectation  or 
of  added  familiarity.  But  now  things  were 
changed.  Little  Raby's  illness  seemed  to  put 
them  all  back  where  they  were  during  the  days 
of  the  sea-side  idyl.  Now  the  doctor  felt  him 
self  again  needed.  Both  Hetty  and  Sally  lived 
upon  his  words,  even  his  looks.  Again  and  again 
the  child's  life  seemed  hanging  in  even  balances, 
and  it  was  with  a  gratitude  almost  like  that  they 
felt  to  God  that  the  two  women  blessed  Dr. 
Eben  for  his  recovery.  Night  after  night,  the 
three  watched  by  the  baby's  bed,  listening  to  his 
shrill  and  convulsive  breathings. 

Morning  after  morning,  Dr.  Eben  and  Hetty 
went  together  out  of  the  chamber,  and  stood  in 
the  open  door-way,  watching  the  crimson  dawn 
on  the  eastern  hills.  At  such  times,  the  doctor 
felt  so  near  Hetty  that  he  was  repeatedly  on  the 
point  of  saying  again  the  words  of  love  he  had 
spoken  six  months  before.  But  a  great  fear  de 
terred  him. 

"  If  she  refuses  me  once  more,  that  would  set- 


Il6         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

tie  it  for  ever,"  he  said  to  himself,  and  forced  the 
words  back. 

One  morning  after  a  night  of  great  anxiety 
and  fear,  they  left  Sally's  room  while  it  was  yet 
dark.  It  was  bitterly  cold;  the  winter  stars 
shone  keen  and  glittering  in  the  bleak  sky.  Hetty 
threw  on  a  heavy  cloak,  and  opening  the  hall- 
door,  said : 

"  Let  us  go  out  into  the  cold  air ;  it  will  do  us 
good." 

Silently  they  walked  up  and  down  the  piazza.. 
The  great  pines  were  weighed  down  to  the 
ground  by  masses  of  snow.  Now  and  then, 
when  the  wind  stirred  the  upper  branches,  ava 
lanches  slid  noiselessly  off,  and  built  themselves 
again  into  banks  below.  There  was  no  moon, 
but  the  starlight  was  so  brilliant  that  the  snow 
crystals  glistened  in  it.  As  they  looked  at  the 
sky,  a  star  suddenly  fell.  It  moved  very  slowly, 
and  was  more  than  a  minute  in  full  sight. 

"  One  light-house  less,"  said  Dr.  Eben. 

"  Oh,"  exclaimed  Hetty,  "what  a  lovely  idea! 
who  said  that  ?  Who  called  the  stars  light 
houses  ? " 

"  I  forget,"  said  the  doctor  ;  "  in  fact  I  think 
I  never  knew ;  I  think  it  was  an  anonymous  lit 
tle  poem  in  which  I  saw  the  idea,  years  ago.  It 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         1 1/ 

struck  me  at  the  time  as  being  a  singularly 
happy  one.  I  think  I  can  repeat  a  stanza  or  two 
of  it." 

GOD'S    LIGHT-HOUSES. 

When  night  falls  on  the  earth,  the  sea 
From  east  to  west  lies  twinkling  bright 

With  shining  beams  from  beacons  high, 
Which  send  afar  their  friendly  light 

The  sailors'  eyes,  like  eyes  in  prayer, 

Turn  unto  them  for  guiding  ray : 
If  storms  obscure  their  radiance, 

The  great  ships  helpless  grope  their  way. 

When  night  falls  on  the  earth,  the  sky 
Looks  like  a  wide,  a  boundless  main  ; 

Who  knows  what  voyagers  sail  there  ? 
Who  names  the  ports  they  sefek  and  gain  ?" 

Are  not  the  stars  like  beacons  set, 

To  guide  the  argosies  that  go 
From  universe  to  universe, 

Our  little  world  above,  below  ? 

On  their  great  errands  solemn  bent, 

In  their  vast  journeys  unaware 
Of  our  small  planet's  name  or  place 

Revolving  in  the  lower  air. 

Oh  thought  too  vast !  oh  thought  too  glad  : 

An  awe  most  rapturous  it  stirs. 
From  world  to  world  God's  beacons  shine : 

God  means  to  save  his  mariners  ! 


Il8         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

Hetty  was  silent.  The  mention  of  light-houses 
had  carried  her  thoughts  back  to  that  last  night 
at  "  The  Runs,"  when,  with  Dr.  Eben  by  her 
side,  she  had  watched  the  great  revolving  light 
in  the  stone  tower  on  the  bar. 

Dr.  Eben  was  thinking  of  the  same  thing  ;  he 
wondered  if  Hetty  were  not :  after  a  few  mo 
ments'  silence,  he  became  so  sure  of  it  that  he 
said: 

"You  have  not  forgotten  that  night,  have 
you?" 

"  Oh,  no  ! "  replied  Hetty,  in  a  low  voice. 

"  I  should  like  to  think  that  you  did  not  wish 
to  forget  it,"  said  the  doctor,  in  a  tender  tone. 

"  Oh,  don't,  please  don't  say  any  thing  about  it," 
exclaimed  Hetty,  in  a  tone  so  full  of  emotion, 
that  Dr.  Eben's  heart  gave  a  bound  of  joy.  In 
that  second,  he  believed  that  the  time  would 
come  when  Hetty  would  love  him.  He  had 
never  heard  such  a  tone  from  her  lips  before. 
Her  hand  rested  on  his  arm.  He  laid  his  upon 
it,  —  the  first  caressing  touch  he  had  ever  dared 
to  offer  to  Hetty  ;  the  first  caressing  touch  which 
Hetty  had  ever  received  from  hand  of  man. 

"  I  will  not,  Hetty,  till  you  are  willing  I  should," 
he  said.  He  had  never  called  her  "  Hetty  "  be 
fore.  A  tumult  filled  Hetty's  heart  ;  but  all  she 
said  was,  in  a  most  matter-of-fact  tone  : 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         119 

"  That 's  right !  we  must  go  in  now.  It  is  too 
cold  out  here." 

Dr.  Eben  did  not  care  what  her  words  were  : 
nature  had  revealed  herself  in  a  tone. 

"  I  '11  make  her  love  me  yet,"  he  thought.  "  It 
won't  take  a  great  while  either  ;  she 's  beginning, 
and  she  doesn't  know  it."  He  was  so  happy 
that  he  did  not  know  at  first  that  Hetty  had  left 
him  alone  in  front  of  the  fire.  When  he  found 
she  had  gone,  he  drew  up  a  big  arm-chair,  sank 
back  in  its  depths,  put  his  feet  on  the  fender, 
and  fell  to  thinking  how,  by  spring,  perhaps,  he 
might  marry  Hetty.  In  the  midst  of  this  lover- 
like  reverie,  he  fell  asleep  in  the  most  unlover-like 
way.  He  was  worn  out  with  his  long  night's 
watching.  In  a  few  minutes,  Hetty  came  back 
with  hot  broth  which  she  had  prepared  for  him. 
Her  light  step  did  not  rouse  him.  She  stood 
still  by  his  chair,  looking  down  on  his  face.  His 
clear-cut  features,  always  handsome,  were  grand 
in  sleep.  The  solemnity  of  closed  eyes  adds  to 
a  noble  face  something  which  is  always  very  im 
pressive.  He  stirred  uneasily,  and  said  in  his 
sleep,  "  Hetty."  A  great  wave  of  passionate 
feeling  swept  over  her  face,  as,  standing  there, 
she  heard  this  tender  sound  of  her  name  on  his 
unconscious  lips. 


120         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  Oh  what  will  become  of  me  if  I  love  him 
after  all,"  she  thought. 

"  Why  not,  why  not  ? "  answered  her  heart ; 
wakened  now  and  struggling  for  its  craved  and 
needed  rights.  "  Why  not,  why  not  ? "  and  no 
answer  came  to  Hetty's  mind. 

Moving  noiselessly,  she  set  the  broth  on  a 
low  table  by  the  doctor's  side,  covered  him 
carefully  with  her  own  heavy  cloak,  and  left 
the  room.  On  the  threshold,  she  turned  back 
and  looked  again  at  his  face.  Her  conscious 
thoughts  were  more  than  she  could  bear.  In 
sudden  impatience  with  herself,  she  exclaimed, 
"  Pshaw  1  how  silly  I  am  ! "  and  hastened  up 
stairs,  more  like  the  old  original  Hetty  than 
she  had  been  for  many  days.  Love  could  not 
enthrone  himself  easily  in  Hetty's  nature  :  it 
was  a  rebellious  kingdom.  "Thirty-seven  years 
old !  Hetty  Gunn,  you  're  a  goose,"  were 
Hetty's  last  thoughts  as  she  fell  asleep  that 
night.  But  when  she  awoke  the  next  morning, 
the  same  refrain,  "  Why  not,  why  not  ? "  filled 
her  thoughts ;  and,  when  she  bade  Dr.  Eben 
good-morning,  the  rosy  color  that  mounted  to 
her  very  temples  gave  him  a  new  happiness. 

Why  prolong  the  story  of  the  next  few  days  ? 
They  were  just  such  days  as  every  man  and 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         121 

every  woman  who  has  loved  has  lived  through, 
and  knows  far  better  than  can  be  said  or  sung. 
Love's  beginnings  are  varied,  and  his  final  crises 
of  avowal  take  individual  shape  in  each  individ 
ual  instance  :  but  his  processes  and  symptoms 
of  growth  are  alike  in  all  cases ;  the  indefinable 
delight,  —  the  dreamy  wondering  joy,  —  the  half 
avoidance  which  really  means  seeking,  —  the 
seeking  which  shelters  itself  under  endless 
pleas,  —  the  ceaseless  questioning  of  faces,  — 
the  mute  caresses  of  looks,  and  the  eloquent 
caresses  of  tones,  —  are  they  not  written  in  the 
books  of  the  chronicles  of  all  lovers  ?  What 
matter  how  or  when  the  crowning  moment  of 
full  surrender  comes  ?  It  came  to  Eben  and 
Hetty,  however,  more  suddenly  at  last  than  it 
often  comes  ;  came  in  a  way  so  characteristic  of 
them  both,  that  perhaps  to  tell  it  may  not  be  a 
sin,  since  we  aim  at  a  complete  setting  forth  of 
their  characters. 


122     .    HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 


VIII. 

three  days  little  Raby  had  been  so  ill 
that  the  doctor  had  not  left  the  house  day 
nor  night,  except  for  imperative  calls  from  other 
patients.  Each  night  the  paroxysms  of  croup  re 
turned  with  great  severity,  and  the  little  fellow's 
strength  seemed  fast  giving  way  under  them. 
Sally  and  Hetty,  his  two  mothers,  were  very 
differently  affected  by  the  grief  they  bore  in 
common.  Sally  was  speechless,  calm,  almost 
dogged  in  her  silence.  When  Dr.  Eben  trying 
to  comfort  her,  said : 

"  Don't  feel  so,  Mrs.  Little :  I  think  we  shall 
pull  the  boy  through  all  right."  She  looked  up 
in  his  face,  and  shook  her  head,  speaking  no 
word.  "  I  am  not  saying  it  merely  to  comfort 
you;  indeed,  I  am  not,  Mrs.  Little,"  said  the 
doctor.  "  I  really  believe  he  will  get  well.  These 
attacks  of  croup  seem  much  worse  than  they 
really  are." 

"  I  don't  know  that  it  comforts  me,"  replied 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         123 

Sally,  speaking  very  slowly.  "  I  don't  know  that 
I  want  him  to  live ;  but  I  think  perhaps  he  might 
be  allowed  to  die  easier,  if  I  didn't  need  so  much 
punishing.  It  is  worse  than  death  to  see  him 
suffer  so." 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Little  I  how  can  you  think  thus  of 
God  ?  "  exclaimed  the  doctor.  "  He  never  treats 
us  like  that,  any  more  than  you  could  Raby." 

"  The  minister  at  the  Corners  said  so,"  moaned 
Sally.  "  He  said  it  was  till  the  third  and  fourth 
generations." 

At  such  moments,  Dr.  Eben,  in  his  heart, 
thought  undevoutly  of  ministers.  "A  bruised 
reed,  he  will  not  break,"  came  to  his  mind,  often 
as  he  looked  at  this  anguish-stricken  woman, 
watching  her  only  child's  suffering,  and  morbidly 
believing  that  it  was  the  direct  result  of  her  own 
sin.  But  Dr.  Eben  found  little  time  to  spare  for 
his  ministrations  to  Sally,  when  Hetty  was  in 
such  distress.  He  had  never  seen  any  thing 
like  it.  She  paced  the  house  like  a  wounded  lion 
ess.  She  could  not  bear  to  stay  in  the  room :  all 
day,  all  night,  she  walked,  walked,  walked ;  now 
in  the  hall  outside  his  door  ;  now  in  the  rooms 
below.  Every  few  moments,  she  questioned 
the  doctor  fiercely  :  "  Is  he  no  better  ? "  "  Will 
he  have  another  ? "  "  Can't  you  do  something 


124        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

more  ? "  "  Do  you  think  there  is  a  possibility 
that  any  other  doctor  might  know  something  you 
do  not  ? "  "  Shan't  I  send  Caesar  over  to  Spring- 
ton  for  Dr.  Wilkes  ;  he  might  think  of  some 
thing  different  ?  "  These,  and  a  thousand  other 
such  questions,  Hetty  put  to  the  harassed  and  tor 
tured  Dr.  Eben,  over  and  over,  till  even  his  loving 
patience  was  wellnigh  outworn.  It  was  strength 
ened,  however,  by  his  anxiety  for  her.  She  did 
not  eat ;  she  did  not  drink ;  she  looked  haggard 
and  feverish.  This  child  had  been  to  her  from 
the  day  of  his  birth  like  her  own  :  she  loved  him 
with  all  the  pent-up  forces  of  the  great  woman 
hood  within  her,  which  thus  far  had  not  found 
the  natural  outlet  of  its  affections. 

"Doctor,"  she  would  cry  vehemently,  "why 
should  Raby  die  ?  God  never  means  that  any 
children  should  die.  It  is  all  our  ignorance  and 
carelessness  ;  all  the  result  of  broken  law.  I  've 
heard  you  say  a,  hundred  times,  that  it  is  .a 
thwarting  of  God's  plan  whenever  a  child  dies  : 
why  don't  you  cure  Raby  ? " 

"  That  is  all  true,  Hetty,"  Dr.  Eben  would  re 
ply  ;  "  all  very  true :  it  is  a  thwarting  of  God's 
plan  whenever  any  human  being  dies  before  he 
is  fully  ripe  of  old  age.  But  the  accumulated 
weight  of  generations  of  broken  law  is  on  our 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         12$ 

heads.  Raby's  little  life  has  been  all  well  or 
dered,  so  far  as  we  can  see ;  but,  farther  back, 
was  something  wrong  or  he  would  not  be  ill  to 
day.  I  have  done  my  best  to  lea'rn,  in  my  little 
life,  all  that  is  known  of  methods  of  cure ;  but 
I  have  only  the  records  of  human  ignorance  to 
learn  from,  and  I  must  fail  again  and  again." 

At  last,  on  the  fourth  night,  Raby  slept :  slept 
for  hours,  quietly,  naturally,  and  with  a  gentle 
dew  on  his  fair  forehead.  The  doctor  sat  mo 
tionless  by  his  bed  and  watched  him.  Sally, 
exhausted  by  the  long  watch,  had  fallen  asleep 
on  a  lounge.  The  sound  of  Hetty's  restless 
steps,  in  the  hall  outside,  had  ceased  for  some 
time.  The  doctor  sat  wondering  uneasily  where 
she  had  gone.  She  had  not  entered  the  room  for 
more  than  an  hour ;  the  house  grew  stiller  and 
stiller  ;  not  a  sound  was  to  be  heard  except  little 
Raby's  heavy  breathing,  and  now  and  then  one 
of  those  fine  and  mysterious  noises  which  the 
timbers  of  old  houses  have  a  habit  of  mak 
ing  in  the  night-time.  At  last  the  lover  got  the 
better  of  the  physician.  Doctor  Eben  rose,  and, 
stealing  softly  to  the  door,  opened  it  as  cau 
tiously  as  a  thief.  All  was  dark. 

"  Hetty,"  he  whispered.  No  answer.  He 
looked  back  at  Raby.  The  child  was  sleeping 


126         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

so  soundly  it  seemed  impossible  that  he  could 
wake  for  some  time.  Doctor  Eben  groped  his 
way  to  the  head  of  the  great  stairway,  and 
listened  again.  All  was  still. 

"  Hetty !  "  he  called  in  a  low  voice,  "  Hetty ! " 
No  answer. 

"  She  must  have  fallen  asleep  somewhere. 
She  will  surely  take  cold,"  the  doctor  said  to 
himself ;  persuading  his  conscience  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  go  and  find  her.  Slowly  feeling  his 
way,  he  crept  down  the  staircase.  On  the  last 
step  but  one,  he  suddenly  stumbled,  fell,  and 
barely  recovered  himself  by  his  firm  hold  of  the 
banisters,  in  time  to  hear  Hetty's  voice  in  a  low 
imperious  whisper : 

"  Good  heavens,  doctor  !  what  do  you  want  ? " 

"  Oh  Hetty  !  did  I  hurt  you  ? "  he  exclaimed  ; 
"  I  never  dreamed  of  your  being  on  the  stairs." 

"  I  sat  down  a  minute  to  listen.  It  was  all  so 
still  in  the  room,  I  was  frightened  ;  and  I  must 
have  been  asleep  a  good  while,  I  think,  I  am  so 
cold,"  answered  Hetty  ;  her  teeth  beginning  to 
chatter,  and  her  whole  body  shaking  with  cold. 
''Why,  how  dark  it  is!, "she  continued;  "the 
hall  lamp  has  gone  out :  let  me  get  a  match." 

But  Dr.  Eben  had  her  two  cold  hands  in  his. 
"  No,  Hetty,"  he  said,  "  come  right  back  into  the 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         I2/ 

room :  Raby  is  so  sound  asleep  it  will  not 
wake  him  ;  and  Sally  is  asleep  too  ; "  and  he 
led  her  slowly  towards  the  door.  The  night- 
lamp  was  burning  low  ;  its  pale  flame,  and  the 
flickering  blaze  of  the  big  hickory  logs  on  the 
hearth,  made  a  glimmering  twilight,  whose  fan 
tastic  lights  and  shadows  shot  out  through  the 
door-way  into  the  gloom  of  the  hall.  As  the 
first  of  these  lights  fell  on  Hetty's  face,  Dr. 
Eben  started  to  see  how  white  it  was.  Involun 
tarily  he  put  his  arm  around  her ;  and  exclaimed 
"  How  pale  you  are,  my  poor  Hetty !  you  are 
all  worn  out ; "  and,  half  supporting  her  with  his 
arm,  he  laid  his  free  hand  gently  on  her  hair. 

Hetty  was  very  tired  ;  very  cold  ;  half  asleep, 
and  half  frightened.  She  dropped  her  head  on 
his  shoulder  for  a  second,  and  said :  "  Oh,  what 
a  comfort  you  are  !  " 

The  words  had  hardly  left  her  lips  when  Doc 
tor  Eben  threw  both  his  arms  around  her,  and 
held  her  tightly  to  his  breast,  whispering  : 

"  Indeed,  I  will  be  a  comfort  to  you,  Hetty,  if 
you  will  only  let  me." 

Hetty  struggled  and  began  to  speak. 

"  Hush  !  you  will  wake  Raby,"  he  said,  and 
still  held  her  firmly,  looking  unpityingly  down 
into  her  face. 


128         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  You  do  love  me,  Hetty,"  he  whispered  tri 
umphantly. 

The  front  stick  on  the  fire  broke,  fell  in  two 
blazing  upright  brands  to  right  and  left,  and 
cast  a  sudden  flood  of  light  on  the  two  fig 
ures  in  the  door-way.  Sally  and  Raby  slept 
on.  Still  Doctor  Eben  held  Hetty  close,  and 
looked  with  a  keen  and  exultant  gaze  into  her 
eyes. 

"  It  isn't  fair  when  I  am  so  cold  and  sleepy," 
whispered  Hetty,  with  a  half  twinkle  in  her  half- 
open  eyes. 

"  It  is  fair  !  It  is  fair !  Any  thing  is  fair  ! 
Every  thing  is  fair,"  exclaimed  the  doctor  in  a 
whisper  which  seemed  to  ring  like  a  shout,  and 
he  kissed  Hetty  again  and  again.  Still  Sally  and 
Raby  slept  on :  the  hickory  fire  leaped  up  as  in 
joy  ;  and  a  sudden  wind  shook  the  windows. 

Hetty  struggled  once  more  to  free  herself, 
but  the  arms  were  like  arms  of  oak. 

"  Say  that  you  love  me,  Hetty,"  pleaded  the 
doctor. 

"  When  you  let  me  go,  perhaps  I  will,"  whis 
pered  Hetty. 

Instantly  the  arms  fell ;  and  the  doctor  stood 
opposite  her  in  the  door-way,  his  head  bent  for 
ward  and  his  eyes  fixed  on  her  face. 


HETTY 'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         129 

Hetty  cast  her  eyes  down.  Words  did  not 
come.  It  would  have  been  easier  to  have  said 
them  while  she  was  held  close  to  Doctor  Eben's 
side.  Suddenly,  before  he  had  a  suspicion  of 
what  she  was  about  to  do,  she  had  darted  away, 
was  lost  in  the  darkness,  and  in  a  second  more 
he  heard  her  door  shut  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
hall. 

Dr.  Eben  laughed  a  low  and  pleasant  laugh. 
"  She  might  as  well  have  said  it,"  he  thought : 
"  she  will  say  it  to-morrow.  I  have  won  !  "  and 
he  sank  into  the  great  white  dimity-covered 
chair,  at  the  head  of  Raby's  bed,  and  looked  into 
the  fire.  The  very  coals  seemed  to  marshal 
themselves  into  shapes  befitting  his  triumph  : 
castles  rose  and  fell ;  faces  grew,  smiled,  and 
faded  away  smiling  ;  roses  and  lilies  and  palms 
glowed  ruby  red,  turned  to  silver,  and  paled  into 
spiritual  gray.  The  silence  of  the  night  seemed 
resonant  with  a  very  symphony  of  joy.  Still 
Sally  and  Raby  slept  on.  The  boy's  sweet  face 
took  each  hour  a  more  healthful  tint ;  and,  as 
Doctor  Eben  watched  the  blessed  change,  he 
said  to  himself : 

"  What  a  night !  what  a  night !  Two  lives 
saved !  Raby's  and  mine."  As  the  morning 
drew  near,  he  threw  up  the  shades  of  the  east- 
9 


130         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

ern  window,  and  watched  for  the  dawn.  "  I  will 
see  this  day's  sun  rise,"  he  said  with  a  thrill  of 
devout  emotion  ;  and  he  watched  the  horizon 
while  it  changed  like  a  great  flower  calyx  from 
gray  to  pearly  yellow,  from  yellow  to  pale  green, 
and  at  last,  when  it  could  hold  back  the  day 
no  longer,  to  a  vast  rose  red  with  a  golden  sun 
in  its  centre. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         131 


IX. 


'THHAT  morning's  light  could  have  fallen  on 
no  happier  house,  the  world  over,  than 
"  Gunn's."  A  little  child  brought  back  to  life, 
out  of  the  gates  of  death  ;  two  hearts  entering 
anew  on  life,  through  the  gates  of  love  ;  half  a 
score  of  hearts,  each  glad  in  the  gladness  of  each 
other,  and  in  the  gladness  of  all,  —  what  a  morn 
ing  it  was  ! 

Doctor  Eben  and  Hetty  met  at  the  head  of 
the  stairs. 

"  Oh,  Hetty  !  "  exclaimed  the  doctor. 

"Well?"  said  Hetty,  in  a  half-defiant  tone, 
without  looking  up.  He  came  nearer,  and  was 
about  to  kiss  her. 

She  darted  back,  and  lifting  her  eyes  gave 
him  a  glance  of  such  mingled  love  and  reproof 
that  he  was  bewildered. 

"  Why,  Hetty,  surely  I  may  kiss  you  ? "  he 
exclaimed. 

"  I  was  asleep  last  night,"  she  answered  gravely, 


132         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  and  you  did  very  wrong,"  and  without  another 
word  or  look  she  passed  on. 

Doctor  Eben  was  thoroughly  angry. 

"  What  does  she  mean  ? "  he  said  to  himself. 
"  She  needn't  think  I  am  to  be  played  with  like 
a  boy ; "  and  the  doctor  took  his  seat  at  the 
breakfast  table,  with  a  sterner  countenance  than 
Hetty  had  ever  seen  him  wear.  In  a  few  mo 
ments  she  began  to  cast  timid  and  deprecating 
looks  at  him.  His  displeasure  hurt  her  inde 
scribably.  She  had  not  intended  to  offend  or  repel 
him.  She  did  not  know  precisely  what  she  had 
intended  :  in  fact  she  had  not  intended  any  thing. 
If  the  doctor  had  understood  more  about  love, 
he  would  have  known  that  all  manifestations  in 
Hetty  at  this  time  were  simply  like  the  uncon 
scious  flutterings  of  a  bird  in  the  hand  in  which 
it  is  just  about  to  nestle  and  rest.  But  he  did 
not  understand,  and  when  Hetty,  following  him 
into  the  hall,  stood  shyly  by  his  side,  and  looking 
up  into  his  face  said  inquiringly,  "  Doctor  ? " 
he  answered  her  as  she  had  answered  him,  a 
short  time  before,  with  the  curt  monosyllable, 
"  Well  ? "  His  tone  was  curter  than  his  words. 
Hetty  colored,  and  saying  gently,  "  No  matter ; 
nothing  now,"  turned  away.  Her  whole  move 
ment  was  so  significant  of  wounded  feeling  that 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         133 

it  smote  Doctor  Eben's  heart.  He  sprang  after 
her  and  laid  his  hand  on  her  arm.  "  Hetty,"  he 
said,  "  do  tell  me  what  it  was  you  were  going 
to  say ;  I  did  not  mean  to  hurt  your  feelings  : 
but  I  don't  know  what  to  make  of  you." 

"  Not — know — what — to — make — of  — me  !  " 
repeated  Hetty,  very  slowly,  in  a  tone  of  the 
intensest  astonishment. 

"  You  wouldn't  say  you  loved  me,"  replied  the 
doctor,  beginning  to  feel  a  little  ashamed  of  him 
self. 

Hetty's  eyes  were  fixed  on  his  now,  with  no 
wavering  in  their  gaze.  She  looked  at  him,  as 
if  her  life  lay  in  the  balance  of  what  she  might 
read  in  his  face. 

"Did  you  not  know  that  I  loved  you  before 
you  asked  me  to  say  so  ? "  she  said  with  empha 
sis.  It  was  the  doctor's  turn  now  to  color.  He 
answered  evasively : 

"A  man  has  no  right  to  know  that,  Hetty, 
until  a  woman  tells  him  so." 

"  Did  you  not  think  that  I  loved  you,"  repeated 
Hetty,  with  the  same  emphasis,  and  a  graver 
expression  on  her  face. 

Dr.  Eben  hesitated.  Already,  he  felt  a  sort  of 
fear  of  the  incalculable  processes  and  changes  in 
this  woman's  mind.  Would  she  be  angry  if  he 


134         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

said,  he  had  thought  she  loved  him  ?  Would 
she  be  sure  to  recognize  any  equivocation,  and 
be  angrier  at  that  ? 

"  Hetty,"  he  said,  taking  her  hand  in  his,  "  I 
did  hope  very  strongly  that  you  loved  me,  or 
else  I  should  never  have  asked  you  to  say  so  ;" 
but  you  ought  to  be  willing  to  say  so,  if  it  be 
true.  Think  how  many  times  I  have  said  it  to 
you." 

Hetty's  eyes  did  not  leave  his:  their  expres 
sion  deepened  until  they  seemed  to  darken  and 
enlarge.  She  did  not  speak. 

"  Will  you  not  say  it  now,  Hetty  ? "  urged  the 
doctor. 

"  I  can't,"  replied  Hetty,  and  turned  and  walked 
slowly  away.  Presently  she  turned  again,  and 
walked  swiftly  back  to  him,  and  exclaimed  : 

"  What  do  you  suppose  is  the  reason  it  is  so 
hard  for  me  to  say  it  ? " 

Dr.  Eben  laughed.  "  I  can't  imagine,  Hetty. 
The  only  thing  that  is  hard  for  me,  is  not  to  keep 
saying  it  all  the  time." 

Hetty  smiled. 

"  There  must  be  something  wrong  in  me.  I 
think  I  shall  never  say  it.  But  I  suppose "  — 
She  hesitated,  and  her  eyes  twinkled.  "  I  sup 
pose  you  might  come  to  be  very  sure  of  it  without 
my  ever  saying  it  ? " 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.          135 

"  I  am  sure  of  it  now,  you  darling,"  exclaimed 
the  doctor ;  and  threw  both  his  arms  around  her, 
and  this  time  Hetty  did  not  struggle. 

When  Welbury  heard  that  Hetty  Gunn  was 
to  marry  Doctor  Ebenezer  Williams,  there  was  a 
fine  hubbub  of  talk.  There  was  no  half-way 
opinion  in  anybody's  mind  on  the  question. 
Everybody  was  vehement,  one  way  or  the  other. 
All  Doctor  Eben's  friends  were  hilarious  ;  and 
the  greater  part  of  Hetty's  were  gloomy.  They 
said,  he  was  marrying  her  for  her  money ;  that 
Hetty  was  too  old,  and  too  independent  in  all 
her  ways,  to  be  married  at  all ;  that  they  would 
be  sure  to  fall  out  quickly ;  and  a  hundred  other 
things  equally  meddlesome  and  silly.  But  no 
body  so  disapproved  of  the  match  that  he  stayed 
away  from  the  wedding,  which  was  the  largest 
and  the  gayest  wedding  Welbury  had  ever  seen. 
It  went  sorely  against  the  grain  with  Hetty  to 
invite  Mrs.  Deacon  Little,  but  Sally  entreated 
for  it  so  earnestly  that  she  gave  way. 

"  I  think  if  she  once  sees  me  with  Raby  in  my 
arms,  may  be  she  '11  feel  kinder,"  said  Sally. 
James  Little  had  carried  the  beautiful  boy,  and 
laid  him  in  his  grandmother's  arms  many  times  ; 
but,  although  she  showed  great  tenderness  toward 
the  child,  she  had  never  yet  made  any  allusion 


136         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

to  Sally;  and  James,  who  had  the  same  odd 
combination  of  weakness  and  tenacity  which  his 
mother  had,  had  never  broken  the  resolution 
which  he  had  taken  years  ago :  not  to  mention 
his  wife's  name  in  his  mother's  presence.  Mrs. 
Little  had  almost  as  great  a  struggle  with  herself 
before  accepting  the  invitation,  as  Hetty  had  had 
before  giving  it.  Only  her  husband's  earnest  re 
monstrances  decided  her  wavering  will. 

"  It 's  only  once,  Mrs.  Little,"  he  said,  "  and 
there  '11  be  such  a  crowd  there  that  very  likely 
you  won't  come  near  Sally  at  all.  It  don't  look 
right  for  you  to  stay  away.  You  don't  know  how 
much  folks  think  of  Sally  now.  She's  been 
asked  to  the  minister's  to  tea,  she  and  James, 
with  Hetty  and  the  doctor,  several  times." 

"  She  hain't,  has  she  ? "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Little, 
quite  thrown  off  her  balance  by  this  unexpected 
piece  of  news,  which  the  wary  deacon  had 'been 
holding  in  reserve,  as  a  good  general  holds  his 
biggest  guns,  for  some  special  occasion.  "  You 
don't  tell  me  so !  Well,  well,  folks  must  do  as" 
they  like.  For  my  part,  I  call  that  downright 
countenancing  of  iniquity.  And  I  don't  know 
how  she  could  have  the  face  to  go,  either.  I 
must  say,  I  have  some  curiosity  to  see  how  she 
behaves  among  folks." 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         137 

"  She  "s  as  modest  and  pretty  in  her  ways  as 
ever  a  girl  could  be,"  replied  the  deacon,  who 
had  learned  during  the  past  year  to  love  his  son's 
wife ;  "  you  won't  have  any  call  to  be  ashamed  of 
her.  I  can  tell  you  that  much  beforehand." 

When  Mrs.  Little's  eyes  first  fell  upon  her 
daughter-in-law,  she  gave  an  involuntary  start. 
In  the  two  years  during  which  Mrs.  Little  had 
not  seen  her,  Sally  had  changed  from  a  timid, 
nervous,  restless  woman  to  a  calm  and  dignified 
one.  Very  much  of  her  old  girlish  beauty  had 
returned  to  her,  with  an  added  sweetness  from 
her  sorrow.  As  she  moved  among  the  guests, 
speaking  with  gentle  greeting  to  each,  all  eyes 
followed  her  with  evident  pleasure  and  interest. 
She  wore  a  soft  gray  gown,  which  clung  closely 
to  her  graceful  figure :  one  pale  pink  carnation 
at  her  throat,  and  one  in  her  hair,  were  her  only 
ornaments.  When  Raby,  with  his  white  frock  and 
blue  ribbons,  was  in  her  arms,  the  picture  was  one 
which  would  have  delighted  an  artist's  eye.  Mrs. 
•  Little  felt  a  strange  mingling  of  pride  and  ir 
ritation  at  what  she  saw.  Very  keenly  James 
watched  her :  he  hovered  near  her  continually, 
ready  to  forestall  any  thing  unpleasant  or  to  assist 
any  reconciliation.  She  observed  this ;  observed, 
also,  how  his  gaze  followed  each  movement  of 
Sally's  :  she  understood  it. 


138         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  You  needn't  hang  round  so,  Jim,"  she  said : 
"  I  can  see  for  myself.  If  it 's  any  comfort  to 
you,  I  '11  say  that  your  wife 's  the  most  improved 
woman  I  ever  saw  ;  and  I  'm  very  glad  on  't.  But 
I  ain't  going  to  speak  to  her  :  I  Ve  said  I  won't, 
and  I  won't.  People  must  lie  on  their  beds  as 
they  make  "em." 

James  made  no  reply,  but  walked  away.  It 
seemed  to  him  that,  at  that  instant,  a  chord  in 
his  filial  love  snapped,  and  was  for  ever  lost. 

Moment  by  moment,  Sally  watched  and  waited 
for  the  recognition  which  never  came.  Bearing 
Raby  in  her  arms,  she  passed  and  repassed, 
drawing  as  near  Mrs.  Little  as  she  dared. 
"  Surely  she  must  see  that  nobody  else  here 
wholly  despises  me,"  thought  the  poor  woman  ; 
and,  whenever  any  one  spoke  with  especial  kind 
ness  to  her,  she  glanced  involuntarily  to  see  if 
her  mother-in-law  were  observing  it.  But  all  in 
vain.  Mrs.  Little's  pale  and  weak  blue  eyes 
roamed  everywhere,  but  never  seemed  to  rest 
on  Sally  for  a  second.  Gradually  Sally  compre-  • 
hended  that  all  her  hopes  had  been  unfounded, 
and  a  deep  sadness  settled  on  her  expressive 
face.  "It's  no  use,"  she  thought,  "she'll  never 
speak  to  me  in  the  world,  if  she  won't  to-night." 

Even  during   the  moments    of   the  marriage 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.          139 

ceremony,  Hetty  observed  the  woe  on  Sally's 
countenance  ;  and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  — 
or  would  seem  in  any  one  but  Hetty,  —  while 
the  minister  was  making  his  most  impressive 
addresses  and  petitions,  she  was  thinking  to 
herself :  "  The  hard-hearted  old  woman  !  She 
hasn't  spoken  to  Sally.  I  wish  I  hadn't  asked 
her.  I  '11  pay  her  off  yet,  before  the  evening  is 
over." 

After  the  ceremony  was  done,  and  the  guests 
were  crowding  up  to  congratulate  Hetty,  she 
whispered  to  James  : 

"  Bring  Sally  up  here." 

When  Sally  came,  Hetty  said  : 

"  Stand  here  close  to  me,  Sally.  Don't  go 
away." 

Presently  Deacon  Little  approached  with  Mrs. 
Little.  Hetty  kissed  the  good  old  man  as  heart 
ily  as  if  he  had  been  her  father  ;  then,  turning 
to  Mrs.  Little,  she  said  in  a  clear  voice : 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  in  my  house  at 
last,  Mrs.  Little.  Have  you  seen  Sally  yet  ?  She 
has  been  so  busy  receiving  our  friends,  that  I 
am  afraid  you  have  hardly  had  a  chance  to  talk 
with  her.  Sally,"  she  continued,  turning  and 
taking  Sally  by  the  hand,  "  I  shall  be  at  liberty 
now  to  attend  to  my  friends,  and  you  must  de- 


140         HETTY 'S  STXANGE  HISTORY. 

vote  yourself  to  Mrs.  Little  ; "  and,  with  the 
unquestioning  gesture  of  an  empress,  Hetty 
passed  Mrs.  Little  over  into  Sally's  charge. 

Nobody  could  read  on  Hetty's  features  at  this 
moment  any  thing  except  most  cordial  good-will 
and  the  tender  happiness  of  a  bride  ;  but  her 
heart  was  fighting  like  a  knight  in  a  tourna 
ment  for  rescue  of  one  beset,  and  she  was  in 
wardly  saying :  "  If  she  dares  to  refuse  speak 
to  her  now,  I  '11  expose  her  before  this  Whole 
roomful  of  people." 

Mrs.  Little  did  not  dare.  More  than  ever  she 
dreaded  Hetty  at  this  moment,  and  her  surprise 
and  fear  added  something  to  her  manner  to 
wards  Sally  which  might  almost  have  passed 
for  eagerness,  as  they  walked  away  together  ; 
poor  Sally  lifting  one  quick  deprecating  look  at 
Hetty's  smiling  and  inexorable  face.  Deacon 
Little  hastily  retreated  to  a  corner,  where  he 
stood  wiping  his  forehead,  endeavoring  not  to 
look  alarmed,  and  thinking  to  himself : 

"  Well,  if  Hetty  don't  beat  all !  What  '11  Mrs. 
Little  do  now,  I  wonder?"  And  presently,  as 
cautiously  as  a  man  stalking  a  deer,  he  followed 
the  couple,  and  tried  to  judge,  by  the  expres 
sion  of  his  wife's  face,  how  things  were  going. 
Things  were  going  very  well.  Mrs.  Little  had, 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         141 

in  common  with  all  weak  and  obstinate  persons, 
a  very  foolish  fear  of  ever  being  supposed  to  be 
dictated  to  or  controlled  by  anybody.  She  was 
distinctly  aware  that  Hetty  had  checkmated  her. 
She  had  strong  suspicions  that  there  might  be 
others  looking  on  who  understood  the  game ; 
and  the  only  subterfuge  left  her,  the  only 
shadow  of  pretence  of  not  having  been  outwit 
ted,  was  to  appear  as  if  she  were  glad  of  the 
opportunity  of  talking  with  Sally.  Sally's  appeal 
ing  affectionateness  of  manner  went  very  far  to 
make  this  easy.  She  had  no  resentment  to  con 
ceal  :  all  these  years  she  had  never  blamed  Jim's 
mother  ;  she  had  only  yearned  to  win  her  love, 
to  be  permitted  to  love  her.  She  looked  up  in 
her  face  now,  and  said,  as  they  walked  on : 

"  Oh !  I  did  so  want  to  speak  to  you,  but  I  did 
not  dare  to." 

It  consoled  weak  Mrs.  Little,  for  her  pres 
ent  consciousness  of  being  very  much  afraid  of 
Hetty,  to  hear  that  she  herself  had  inspired  a 
great  terror  in  some  one  else  ;  and  she  an 
swered,  condescendingly : 

"  I  have  always  wished  you  well, "  —  she  hesi 
tated  for  a  word,  but  finally  said,  —  "  Sally." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Sally.  "  I  know  you  did. 
I  never  wondered." 


142         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

Mrs.  Little  was  much  appeased.  She  had  not 
counted  on  such  humility.  At  this  moment  they 
were  met  by  the  nurse,  carrying  Raby  ;  and  he 
was  a  fruitful  subject  of  conversation.  Presently 
he  began  to  cry ;  and  Sally,  taking  him  in  her 
arms,  said,  as  if  by  a  sudden  inspiration,  "  I  think 
I  had  better  take  him  upstairs.  Wouldn't  you 
like  to  go  up  with  me,  and  see  what  lovely  rooms 
Hetty  has  given  to  Jim  and  me  ?  " 

The  friendliness  of  the  bedroom,  the  disarm 
ing  presence  of  the  baby,  completed  Mrs.  Little's 
surrender  ;  and  when  James  Little,  missing  his 
wife,  went  to  her  room  to  seek  her,  he  stood  still 
on  the  threshold,  mute  with  surprise.  There  sat 
his  mother  with  Raby  on  her  lap  ;  Sally  on  her 
knees  by  an  opened  bureau-drawer,  was  showing 
her  all  Raby's  clothes,  and  the  two  women's 
faces  were  aglow  with  pleasure.  James  stole 
in  softly,  came  behind  his  mother,  and  kissed  her 
as  he  had  not  kissed  her  since  he  was  a  boy. 
Neither  of  the  three  spoke ;  but  little  Raby 
crowed  out  a  sudden  and  unexplained  laugh, 
which  seemed  a  fitting  sign  and  seal  of  the 
happy  moment,  and  set  them  all  at  ease.  When 
Sally  described  the  scene  to  Hetty,  she  said : 

"  Oh,  I  was  so  frightened  when  Jim  came  in  ! 
I  thought  he  'd  be  sure  to  say  something  to  his 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         143 

mother  that  would  spoil  every  thing.  But  the 
Lord  put  it  into  Raby's  head  to  go  off  in  one  of 
his  great  laughs  at  nothing,  and  that  made  us  all 
laugh,  and  the  first  thing  that  came  into  my 
head  was  that  verse,  '  And  a  little  child  shall 
lead  them.' " 

"  Dear  me,  Sally,  does  any  thing  happen  that 
doesn't  put  you  in  mind  of  some  verse  in  the 
Bible  ? "  laughed  Hetty. 

"  Not  many  things,  Hetty,"  replied  Sally. 
"Those  years  that  I  was  alone  all  the  time,  I 
used  to  read  it  so  much  that  it  's  always  coming 
into  my  head  now,  whatever  happens." 

After  the  last  guest  had  gone,  Doctor  Eben 
and  Hetty  stood  alone  before  the  blazing  fire. 
Hetty  was  beautiful  on  this  night :  no  white  lace, 
no  orange  blossoms,  to  make  the  ill-natured  sneer 
at  the  middle-aged  bride  attired  like  a  girl  ;  no 
useless  finery  to  be  laid  away  in  chests  and 
cherished  as  sentimental  mementos  of  an  occa 
sion.  A  substantial  heavy  silk  of  a  useful  shade 
of  useful  gray  was  Hetty  Gunn's  wedding  gown  ; 
and  she  wore  on  her  breast  and  in  her  hair  white 
roses,  "  which  will  do  for  my  summer  bonnets 
for  years,"  Hetty  had  said,  when  she  bought 
them. 

But  her  cheeks  were  pink,  her  eyes  bright,  and 


144        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

her  brown  curls  lovelier  than  ever.  Dr.  Eben 
might  well  be  pardoned  the  pride  and  delight 
with  which  he  drew  her  to  his  side  and  ex 
claimed,  "  Oh,  Hetty !  are  you  really  mine  ? 
How  beautiful  you  look  !  " 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  said  Hetty,  taking  a  sur 
vey  of  herself  in  the  old-fashioned  glass  slanted 
at  a  steep  angle  above  the  mantel-piece.  "  I 
don't.  I  hate  fine  gowns  and  flowers  on  me. 
If  I  'd  have  dared  to,  I  'd  have  been  married  in 
my  old  purple." 

"  I  shouldn't  have  cared,"  replied  her  husband. 
"  But  it  is  better  as  it  is.  Welbury  people  would 
have  never  left  off  talking,  if  you  had  done  that." 

They  were  a  beautiful  sight,  the  two,  as  they 
stood  with  their  arms  around  each  other,  in  the 
fire-light.  Dr.  Eben  was  tall  and  of  a  command 
ing  figure  ;  his  head  was  almost  too  massive  for 
even  his  broad  shoulders  ;  his  black  hair  was 
wellnigh  shaggy  in  its  thickness ;  and  his  dark 
gray  eyes  looked  out  from  under  eyebrows  which 
were  like  projecting  eaves,  and  threw  shadows 
on  his  cheeks  below.  Hetty's  fair,  rosy  face, 
and  golden-brown  curls,  were  thrown  out  into 
relief  by  all  this  dark  coloring  so  near,  as  a  sun 
beam  is  when  it  plays  on  a  dark  cloud.  The 
rooms  were  full  of  the  delicate  fragance  of  apple 


HETTY'S  STRAXGE  HISTORY.         145 

blossoms.  The  corners  were  filled  with  them  ;  the 
walls  were  waving  with  them.  Sally  had  begged 
permission  to  have,  for  once,  all  the  apple  blos 
soms  she  desired  ;  and,  despite  groans  and  grum 
blings  from  Mike,  she  had  rifled  the  orchards. 

"  Faith,  an'  a  good  tin  bushel  she's  taken  off 
the  russets,"  Mike  said  to  Norah  ;  "  an'  as  for 
thim  gillies  yer  was  so  fond  of,  there  's  none  left 
to  spake  of  on  any  o'  the  trees.  Now  if  she  'd  er 
tuk  thim  old  blue  pearmain  trees,  I  wouldn't 
have  said  a  word.  But,  '  Oh  no  ! '  sez  she,  '  I 
must  have  all  pink  uns  ; '  an'  it  was  jest  the  pink 
uns  that  was  our  best  trees  ;  that 's  jest  as  much 
sinse  as  ye  wimmin  's  got." 

"  Wull,  thin,  an'  I  'm  thinkin'  yer  wouldn't 
have  grudged  Miss  Hetty  her  own  apples,  if  it 
was  in  barrls  ye  had  'em,"  replied  the  practical 
Norah,  "  an'  I  don't  see  where  's  the  differ." 

"  Yer  don't !  "  said  Mike,  angrily.  "  If  it  had 
ha  plazed  God  to  make  a  man  o'  yer,  ye  'd  ha 
known  more  'n  yer  do  ;  "  and  with  this  character 
istically  masculine  shifting  of  his  premises,  Mike 
turned  his  back  on  Norah. 

Neither  Hetty  nor  Doctor  Eben  had  ever 
heard  that  lovers  should  not  wed  in  May  ;  and,  as 
they  looked  up  at  the  great  fragrant  pink  and 
white  boughs  on  the  walls,  Hetty  exclaimed  : 


146         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  Nobody  ought  to  be  married  except  when 
apple-trees  are  in  bloom.  Nothing  else  could 
have  been  half  so  lovely  in  the  rooms,  and  the 
fire-light  makes  them  all  the  prettier.  What  a 
genius  Sally  has  for  arranging  flowers.  Who 
would  have  thought  common  stone  jars  could 
look  so  well  ?  " 

Sally  had  taken  the  largest  sized  gray  stone 
jars  she  could  buy  in  Welbury,  and  in  these  had 
set  boughs  six  and  seven  feet  long,  looking  like 
young  trees.  On  the  walls  she  had  placed  deep 
wooden  boxes  with  shield-shaped  fronts ;  these 
fronts  were  covered  with  gray  lichens  from  the 
rocks ;  the  rosy  blossoms  waved  from  out  these 
boxes,  looking  as  much  at  home  as  they  did 
above  the  lichen-covered  trunks  of  the  trees  in 
the  orchard. 

"Poor  dear  Sally!"  Hetty  continued,  "she 
had  a  hard  time  the  first  part  of  the  evening. 
That  stony  old  woman  wouldn't  speak  to  her. 
But  I  took  her  in  hand  afterward.  Did  you 
observe  ? " 

"Observe!"  shouted  Dr.  Eben.  "I  should 
think  so.  You  hardly  waited  till  the  minister 
had  got  through  with  us." 

"L  didn't  wait  till  then,"  replied  Hetty,  de 
murely.  "  I  was  planning  it  all  the  while  he 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         147 

was  telling  me  about  my  duty  to  you.  I 
didn't  believe  he  could  tell  me  much  about 
that,  anyway ;  and  the  duty  that  weighed  on 
my  mind  most  at  that  minute  was  my  duty  to 
Sally." 

And  thus,  in  the  flickering  fire-light  and  the 
apple-blossom  fragrance,  the  two  wedded  lovers 
sat  talking  and  dreaming,  and  taking  joy  of  each 
other  while  the  night  wore  on.  There  was  no 
violent  transition,  no  great  change  of  atmosphere, 
in  the  beginnings  of  their  wedded  life.  Dr. 
Eben  had  now  lived  so  much  at  "  Gunn's,"  that 
it  seemed  no  strange  thing  for  him  to  live  there 
altogether.  If  it  chafed  him  sometimes  that  it 
was  Hetty's  house  and  not  his,  Hetty's  estate, 
Hetty's  right  and  rule,  he  never  betrayed  it. 
And  there  was  little  reason  that  it  should  chafe 
him  ;  for,  from  the  day  of  Hetty  Gunn's  marriage, 
she  was  a  changed  woman  in  the  habits  and 
motives  of  her  whole  life.  The  farm  was  to  her, 
as  if  it  were  not.  All  the  currents  of  her  being 
were  set  now  in  a  new  channel,  and  flowed  as 
impetuously  there  as  they  had  been  wont  to 
flow  in  the  old  ones.  Her  husband,  his  needs, 
his  movements,  were  now  the  centre  around 
which  her  fine  and  ceaseless  activity  revolved. 
There  was  not  a  trace  of  sentimental  expression 


148        HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

to  this  absorption.  A  careless  observer  might 
have  said  that  her  manner  was  deficient  in  ten 
derness  ;  that  she  was  singularly  chary  of  caresses 
and  words  of  love.  But  one  who  saw  deeper 
would  observe  that  not  the  smallest  motion  of 
the  doctor's  escaped  her  eye;  not  his  lightest 
word  failed  to  reach  her  ear ;  and  every  act  of 
hers  was  planned  with  either  direct  or  indirect 
reference  to  him.  In  his  absence,  she  was  pre 
occupied  and  uneasy  ;  in  his  presence,  she  was 
satisfied,  at  rest,  and  her  face  wore  a  sort  of 
quiet  radiance  hard  to  describe,  but  very  beauti 
ful  to  see.  As  for  Dr.  Eben,  he  thought  he  had 
entered  into  a  new  world.  Warmly  as  he  had 
loved  and  admired  Hetty,  he  had  not  been  pre 
pared  for  these  depths  in  her  nature.  Every  day 
he  said  to  her,  "  Oh,  Hetty,  Hetty !  I  never 
knew  you.  I  did  not  dream  you  were  like  this." 
She  would  answer  lightly,  laughingly,  perhaps 
almost  brusquely ;  but  intense  feeling  would 
glow  in  her  face  as  a  light  shines  through  glass  ; 
and  often,  when  she  turned  thus  lightly  away 
from  him,  there  were  passionate  tears  in  her 
eyes.  It  very  soon  became  her  habit  to  drive 
with  him  wherever  he  went.  Old  Doctor  Tut- 
hill  had  died  some  months  before,  and  now  the 
county  circuit  was  Doctor  Eben's.  His  love  of 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         149 

his  profession  was  a  passion,  and  nothing  now 
stood  in  the  way  of  his  gratifying  it  to  the  ut 
most.  Books,  journals,  all  poured  in  upon  him. 
Hetty  would  have  liked  to  be  omniscient  that 
she  might  procure  for  him  all  he  could  desire. 
Every  morning  they  might  be  seen  dashing  over 
the  country  with  a  pair  of  fleet,  strong  gray 
horses.  In  the  afternoon,  they  drove  a  pair  of 
black  ponies  for  visits  nearer  home.  Sometimes, 
while  the  doctor  paid  his  visits,  Hetty  sat  in  the 
carriage  ;  and,  when  she  suspected  that  he  had 
fallen  into  some  discussion  not  relative  to  the 
patient's  case,  she  would  call  out  merrily,  with 
tones  clear  and  ringing  enough  to  penetrate  any 
walls :  "  Come,  come,  doctor !  we  must  be  off." 
And  the  doctor  would  spring  to  his  feet,  and  run 
hastily,  saying :  "  You  see  I  am  under  orders 
too  :  my  doctor  is  waiting  outside."  Under  the 
seat,  side  by  side  with  the  doctor's  medicine 
case,  always  went  a  hamper  which  Hetty  called 
"  the  other  medicine  case ;  "  and  far  the  more 
important  it  was  of  the  two.  Many  a  poor 
patient  got  well  by  help  of  Hetty's  soups  and 
jellies  and  good  bread.  Nothing  made  her  so 
happy  as  to  have  the  doctor  come  home,  say 
ing  :  "  I've  got  a  patient  to-day  that  we  must 
feed  to  cure  him."  Then  only,  Hetty  felt  that 


ISO        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

I 
she  was  of   real  help  to  her   husband  :  of  any 

other  help  that  she  might  give  him  Hetty  was 
still  incredulous  ;  intangible  things  were  a  little 
out  of  Hetty's  range.  Even  her  great  and  pas 
sionate  love  had  not  fully  opened  her  eyes  to  all 
love's  needs  and  expressions.  All  that  it  meant 
to  her  was  a  perpetual  doing,  ministration,  a 
compelling  of  the  happiness  of  the  loved  object. 
And  here,  as  everywhere  else  in  her  life,  she  was 
fully  content  only  when  there  was  something 
evident  and  ready  to  be  done.  If  her  husband 
had  taken  the  same  view  of  love,  —  had  insisted 
on  perpetual  ministerings  to  her  in  tangible 
forms,  —  she  would  have  been  bewildered  and 
uncomfortable;  and  would,  no  doubt,  have  re 
plied  most  illogically  :  "  Oh,  don't  be  taking  so 
much  trouble  about  me.  I  can  take  care  of  my 
self  ;  I  always  have."  But  Doctor  Eben  was  in 
no  danger  of  disturbing  Hetty  in  this  way. 
Without  being  consciously  a  selfish  man,  he  had 
a  temperament  to  which  acceptance  came  easy. 
And  really  Hetty  left  him  no  time,  no  room,  for 
any  such  manifestations  towards  her,  even  had 
they  been  spontaneously  natural.  Moreover, 
Hetty  was  a  most  difficult  person  for  anybody 
to  help  in  any  way.  She  never  seemed  to  have 
needs  or  wants :  she  was  always  well,  brisk, 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         151 

cheery,  prepared  for  whatever  occurred.  There 
really  seemed  to  be  nothing  to  do  for  Hetty  but 
to  kiss  her ;  and  that  Doctor  Eben  did  most 
heartily,  and  of  persistence  ;  and  Hetty  liked 
it  better  than  any  thing  in  this  world.  With 
his  whole  heart  and  strength,  Eben  Williams 
loved  his  wife  ;  and  he  loved  her  better  and 
better,  day  by  day.  But  she  herself,  by  her 
peculiar  temperament,  her  habits  of  activity, 
and  disinterestedness,  made  it,  in  the  outset, 
out  of  the  question  that  any  man  living  with 
her  as  her  husband  should  ever  fully  learn  a 
husband's  duties  and  obligations. 


152         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 


X. 


A  ND  now  we  shall  pass  over  an  interval  of 
eight  years  in  the  history  of  "  Gunn's." 
For  it  is  only  the-  "  strange  history "  of  Eben 
and  Hetty  that  was  to  be  told  in  this  story,  and 
in  these  years'  history  was  nothing  strange  ;  un 
less,  indeed,  it  might  be  said  that  they  were 
strangely  happy  years.  The  household  remained 
unchanged,  except  that  there  were  three  more 
babies  in  Mike's  cottage,  and  Hetty  had  been 
obliged  to  build  on  another  room  for  him.  Old 
Nan  and  Caesar  still  reigned.  Caesar's  head 
was  as  white  and  tight-curled  as  the  fleece  of 
a  pet  lamb.  He  was  now  a  shining  light  in  the 
Methodist  meeting ;  but  he  had  not  yet  broken 
himself  of  his  oaths.  "  Damn  —  bress  de  Lord" 
was  still  heard  on  occasion  :  but  everybody,  even 
Nan,  had  grown  so  used  to  it  that  it  did  not  pass 
for  an  oath  ;  and,  no  doubt,  even  the  recording 
angel  had  long  since  ceased  to  put  it  down. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         153 

James  Little  and  his  wife  were  now  as  much  a 
part  of  the  family  as  if  they  had  had  the  old 
Squire's  blood  in  their  veins  ;  and  nobody 
thought  about  the  old  time  of  their  disgrace, 
—  nobody  but  Jim  and  Sally  themselves.  From 
their  thoughts  it  was  never  absent,  when  they 
looked  on  the  beautiful,  joyous  face  of  Raby. 
He  had  grown  beyond  his  years,  and  looked  like 
a  boy  of  twelve.  He  was  manly,  frank,  impul 
sive  ;  a  child  after  Hetty's  own  heart,  and  much 
more  like  her  than  he  was  like  his  father  or  his 
mother.  It  was  a  question,  also,  if  he  did  not 
love  her  more  than  he  loved  either  of  his 
parents  :  all  his  hours  with  her  were  un 
clouded  ;  over  his  intercourse  with  them,  there 
always  hung  the  undefined  cloud  of  an  unex 
pressed  sadness. 

Hetty  was  changed.  Her  hair  was  gray  ;  her 
fair  skin  weather-beaten  ;  and  the  fine  wrinkles 
around  the  corners  of  her  merry  eyes  radiated 
like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel.  She  had  looked 
young  at  thirty-seven  ;  she  looked  old  at 
forty-five.  The  phlegmatic  and  lazy  some 
times  seem  to  keep  their  youth  better  than  the 
sanguine  and  active.  It  is  a  cruel  thing  that 
laughter  should  age  a  woman's  face  almost  as 
much  as  weeping;  but  it  does.  Sunny  as 


154         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

Hetty's  face  was,  it  had  come  to  have  a  look 
older  than  it  ought,  simply  because  the  kindly 
eyes  had  so  often  twinkled  and  half  closed  in 
merry  laughter. 

Time  had  dealt  more  kindly  with  Doctor 
Eben.  He  was  a  handsomer  man  at  forty-one 
than  he  had  been  at  thirty-three :  the  eight 
years  had  left  no  other  trace  upon  him.  Face, 
figure,  step,  all  were  as  full  of  youth  and  vigor 
as  upon  the  day  when  Hetty  first  met  him  walk 
ing  down  the  pine-shaded  road.  The  precise 
moment  when  the  first  pang  of  consciousness 
of  the  discrepancy  between  her  husband's  looks 
and  her  own  entered  Hetty's  mind  would  be 
hard  to  determine.  It  began  probably  in  some 
thoughtless  jest  of  her  own,  or  even  of  his  ;  for, 
in  his  absolute  loyalty  of  love,  his  unquestioning 
and  long-established  acceptance  of  their  relation 
as  a  perfect  one,  it  would  never  have  crossed 
Doctor  Eben's  mind  that  Hetty  could  possibly 
care  whether  she  looked  older  or  younger  than 
he.  He  never  thought  about  her  age  at  all :  in 
fact,  he  could  not  have  told  either  her  age  or  his 
own  with  exactness  ;  he  was  curiously  forgetful 
of  such  matters.  He  did  not  see  the  wrinkles 
around  her  eyes.  He  did  not  know  that  her  skin 
was  weather-beaten,  her  figure  less  graceful,  her 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         1 55 

hair  fast  turning  gray.  To  him  she  was  simply 
"  Hetty : "  the  word  meant  as  it  always  had  meant, 
fulness  of  love,  delight,  life.  Doctor  Eben  was 
a  man  of  that  fine  fibre  of  organic  loyalty,  to 
which  there  is  not  possible,  even  a  temptation 
to  forsake  or  remove  from  its  object.  Men  hav 
ing  this  kind  of  uprightness  and  loyalty,  rarely 
are  much  given  to  words  or  demonstrations  of 
affection.  To  them  love  takes  its  place,  side 
by  side  with  the  common  air,  the  course  of  the 
sun,  the  succession  of  days  and  nights,  and 
all  other  unquestioned  and  unalterable  things 
in  the  world.  To  suggest  to  such  a  man  the 
possibility  of  lessening  in  his  allegiance  to  a 
wife,  is  like  proposing  to  him  to  overthrow  the 
whole  course  of  nature.  He  simply  cannot  con 
ceive  of  such  a  thing ;  and  he  has  no  tolerance 
for  it.  He  is  by  the  very  virtue  of  his  organic 
structure  incapable  of  charity  for  men  who  sin 
in  that  way.  There  are  not  many  such  men, 
but  the  type  exists  ;  and  well  may  any  woman 
felicitate  herself  to  whom  it  is  given  to  rest  her 
life  on  such  sure  foundations.  If  there  be  some 
lack  of  the  daily  manifestations  of  tenderness, 
the  ready  word,  the  ever-present  caress,  she 
may  recollect  that  these  are  often  the  first 
fruits  of  a  passion  whose  early  way-side  har- 


156        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

vest  will  be  scorched  and  shrivelled  as  soon  as 
the  sun  is  high  ;  while  the  seed  which  bringeth 
forth  a  hundred,  nay  a  thousand  fold,  of  true 
grain,  sleeps  in  long  silence,  and  grows  up 
noiseless  and  slow. 

Doctor  Eben  did  not  know  that  he  was  in 
many  small  ways  an  unloverlike  husband.  He 
did  not  know  that  his  absorption  in  his  profes 
sional  studies  made  him  often  seem  unaware  of 
Hetty's  presence  for  hours  together,  when  she 
was  watching  and  waiting  for  a  word.  He  did 
not  know  that  he  sometimes  did  not  hear  when 
she  spoke,  and  did  not  answer  when  he  heard. 
He  did  not  know  a  hundred  things  which  he 
would  have  known,  if  he  had  been  a  less  upright 
and  loyal  man,  and  if  Hetty  had  been  a  less  un 
selfish  woman.  Neither  did  Hetty  know  any  of 
these  things,  or  note  them,  until  the  poisoned 
consciousness  awoke  in  her  mind  that  she  was 
fast  growing  old,  and  her  face  was  growing  less 
lovely.  This  was  the  first  germ  of  Hetty's  un- 
happiness.  It  had  been  very  hard  for  her  in  the 
beginning  to  believe  herself  loved  :  now  all  her 
old  incredulity  returned  with  fourfold  strength ; 
and  now  it  was  not  met  as  then  by  constant  and 
vehement  evidence  to  conquer  it.  Here  again, 
had  Hetty  been  like  other  women,  she  might 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         157 

have  been  spared  her  suffering.  Had  it  been 
possible  for  her  to  demand,  to  even  invite,  she 
would  have  won  from  her  husband,  at  any  in 
stant,  all  that  her  anxiety  could  have  asked ; 
but  it  was  not  possible.  She  simply  went  on 
silently,  day  after  day,  watching  her  husband 
more  intently;  keeping  record,  in  her  morbid 
feeling,  of  every  moment,  every  look,  every  word 
which  she  misapprehended.  Beyond  this  mor 
bidness  of  misapprehension,  there  was  no  other 
morbidness  in  Hetty's  state.  She  did  not 
pine  or  grieve;  she  only  began  slowly  to 
wonder  what  she  could  do  for  Eben  now.  Her 
sense  of  loss  and  disappointment,  in  that  she 
had  borne  him  no  children,  began  to  weigh  more 
heavily  upon  her.  "  If  I  were  mother  of  his 
children,"  she  said  to  herself,  "it  would  not  make 
so  much  difference  if  I  did  grow  old  and  ugly. 
He  would  have  the  children  to  give  him  pleas 
ure."  "  I  don't  see  what  there  is  left  for  me  to  do," 
she  said  again  and  again.  Sometimes  she  made 
pathetic  attempts  to  change  the  simplicity  of 
her  dress.  "  Perhaps  if  I  wore  better  clothes,  I 
should  look  younger,"  she  thought.  But  the 
result  was  not  satisfactory.  Her  severe  style 
had  always  been  so  essentially  her  own  that  any 
departure  from  it  only  made  her  look  still  more 


158         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

altered.  All  this  undercurrent  of  annoyance 
and  distress  added  continually  to  the  change  in 
her  face :  gradually  its  expression  grew  more 
grave  ;  she  smiled  less  frequently  ;  had  fits  of 
abstraction  and  reverie,  which  she  had  never 
been  known  to  have  before. 

In  a  vague  way,  Doctor  Eben  observed  these, 
and  wondered  what  Hetty  was  thinking  about ; 
but  he  never  asked.  Often  they  drove  for  a 
whole  day  together,  without  a  dozen  words  being 
spoken  ;  but  the  doctor  was  buried  in  medita 
tions  upon  his  patients,  and  did  not  dislike  the 
silence.  Hetty  did  not  realize  that  the  change 
here  was  .more  in  her  than  in  him  :  in  the  old 
days  it  had  been  she  who  talked,  not  the  doctor  ; 
now  that  she  was  silent,  he  went  on  with  his 
trains  of  thought  undisturbed,  and  was  as  con 
tent  as  before,  for  she  was  by  his  side.  He  felt 
her  presence  perpetually,  even  when  he  gave  no 
sign  of  doing  so. 

Many  months  went  by  in  this  way,  a  summer, 
a  winter,  part  of  a  spring,  and  Hetty's  forty- 
fifth  birthday  came,  and  found  her  a  seriously 
unhappy  woman.  Yet,  strange  to  say,  nobody 
dreamed  of  it.  So  unchanged  was  the  external 
current  of  her  life  :  such  magnificent  self-control 
had  she,  and  such  absolute  disinterestedness. 


HETTY  ^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         159 

Little  Raby  was  the  only  one  who  ever  had  a  con 
sciousness  that  things  were  not  right.  He  was 
Hetty's  closest  comrade  and  companion  now. 
All  the  hours  that  she  did  not  spend  driving 
with  the  doctor  (and  she  drove  with  him  less 
now  than  had  been  her  custom)  she  spent  with 
Raby.  They  took  long  rambles  together,  and 
long  rides,  Raby  being  already  an  accomplished 
and  fearless  little  rider.  By  the  subtle  instinct 
of  a  loving  child,  Raby  knew  that  "  Aunt  Hetty  " 
was  changed.  A  certain  something  was  gone 
out  of  the  delight  they  used  to  take  together. 
Once,  as  they  were  riding,  he  exclaimed  : 

"  Aunt  Hetty,  you  haven't  spoken  for  ever 
so  long !  What 's  the  matter  ?  you  don't  talk 
half  so  much  as  you  used  to." 

And  Hetty,  conscience-stricken,  thought  to 
herself :  "  Dear  me,  how  selfish  it  makes  one  to 
be  unhappy !  Here  I  am,  letting  it  fall  on  this 
dear,  innocent  darling.  I  ought  to  be  ashamed." 
But  she  answered  gayly : 

"  Oh,  Raby !  aunty  is  growing  old  and  stupid, 
isn't  she  ?  She  must  look  out,  or  you  '11  get  tired 
of  her." 

"  I  shan't  either  :  you  're  the  nicest  aunty  in 
the  whole  world,"  cried  Raby.  "  You  ain't  a  bit 
old  ;  but  I  wish  you  'd  talk." 


160         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

Then  and  there,  Hetty  resolved  that  never 
again  should  Raby  have  occasion  to  think  thus  ; 
and  he  never  did.  Before  long  he  had  forgotten 
all  about  this  conversation,  and  all  was  as  before. 
This  was  in  May.  One  day,  in  the  following 
June,  as  Hetty  and  the  doctor  were  driving 
through  Springton,  he  said  suddenly : 

"  Oh,  Hetty !  I  want  you  to  come  in  with  me 
at  one  place  this  morning.  There  is  the  most 
perfectly  beautiful  creature  there  I  ever  saw, — 
the  oldest  daughter  of  a  Methodist  minister  who 
has  just  come  here  to  preach.  Poor  child !  she 
cannot  sit  up,  or  turn  herself  in  bed  ;  but  she 
is  an  angel,  and  has  the  face  of  one,  if  ever  a 
human  creature  had.  They  are  very  poor  and 
we  must  help  them  all  we  can.  I  have  great 
hopes  of  curing  the  child,  if  she  can  be  well  fed. 
It  is  a  serious  spinal  disease,  but  I  believe  it  can 
be  cured." 

When  Hetty  first  looked  on  the  face  of  Rachel 
Barlow,  she  said  in  her  heart :  "  Eben  was  right. 
It  is  the  face  of  an  angel ;  "  and  when  she  heard 
Rachel's  voice,  she  added,  "  and  the  voice  also." 
Some  types  of  spinal  disease  seem  to  have  a 
marvellously  refining  effect  on  the  countenance ; 
producing  an  ethereal  clearness  of  skin,  and 
brightness  of  eye,  and  a  spiritual  expression, 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         l6l 

which  are  seen  on  no  other  faces.  Rachel  Bar 
low  was  a  striking  instance  of  this  almost 
abnormal  beauty.  As  her  fair  face  looked  up  at 
you  from  her  pillow,  your  impulse  was  to  fall  on 
your  knees.  Not  till  she  smiled  did  you  feel 
sure  she  was  human  ;  but  when  she  smiled,  the 
smile  was  so  winningly  warm,  you  forgot  you 
had  thought  her  an  angel.  For  two  years  she 
had  not  moved  from  her  bed,  except  as  she  was 
lifted  in  the  strong  arms  of  her  father.  For  two 
years  she  had  not  been  free  from  pain  for  a 
moment.  Often  the  pain  was  so  severe  that  she 
fainted.  And  yet  her  brow  was  placid,  un 
marked  by  a  line,  and  her  face  in  repose  as  serene 
as  a  happy  child's. 

Doctor  Eben  and  Hetty  sat  together  by  the 
bed. 

"  Rachel,"  said  the  doctor,  "  I  have  brought 
my  wife  to  help  cure  you.  She  is  as  good  a 
doctor  as  I  am."  And  he  turned  proudly  to 
Hetty. 

Rachel  gazed  at  her  earnestly,  but  did  not 
speak.  Hetty  felt  herself  singularly  embarrassed 
by  the  gaze. 

"  I  wish  I  could  help  you,"  she  said ;  "  but  I 
think  my  husband  will  make  you  well." 

Rachel  colored. 


162         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  I  never  permit  myself  to  hope  for  it,"  she 
replied.  "  If  I  did,  I  should  be  discontented  at 
once." 

"  Why !  are  you  contented  as  it  is  ? "  ex 
claimed  Hetty  impetuously. 

"Oh,  yes!"  said  Rachel.  "I  enjoy  every 
minute,  except  when  the  pain  is  too  hard  :  you 
don't  know  what  a  beautiful  thing  life  seems  to 
me.  I  always  have  the  sky  you  know  "  (glancing 
"at  the  window),  "  and  that  is  enough  for  a  life 
time.  Every  day  birds  fly  by  too ;  and  every 
day  my  father  reads  to  me  at  least  two  hours. 
So  I  have  great  deal  to  think  about." 

"  Miss  Barlow,  I  envy  you,"  said  Hetty  in  a 
tone  which  startled  even  herself.  Again  Rachel 
bent  on  her  the  same  clairvoyant  gaze  which  had 
so  embarrassed  her  before.  Hetty  shrank  from 
it  still  more  than  at  first,  and  left  the  room,  say 
ing  to  her  husband  :  "  I  will  wait  for  you  outside." 

As  they  drove  away,  Hetty  said  : 

"  Eben,  what  is  it  in  her  look  which  makes  me 
so  uneasy  ?  I  don't  like  to  have  her  look  at  me." 

"  Now  that  is  strange,"  replied  the  doctor. 
"  After  you  had  left  the  room,  the  child  said  to 
me  :  '  What  is  the  matter  with  your  wife  ?  She 
is  not  well,'  and  I  laughed  at  the  idea,  and  told 
her  I  never  knew  any  woman  half  so  well  or 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         163 

strong.  Rachel  is  a  sort  of  clairvoyant,  as  per 
sons  in  her  condition  are  so  apt  to  be  ;  but  she 
made  a  wrong  guess  this  time,  didn't  she  ?  " 

Hetty  did  not  answer  ;  and  the  doctor  turning 
towards  her  saw  that  her  eyes  were  fixed  on  the 
sky  with  a  dreamy  expression. 

"  Why,  Hetty  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Why  do 
you  look  so  ?  You  are  perfectly  well,  are  you 
not,  dear  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  !  oh,  yes  ! "  Hetty  answered,  quickly 
rousing  herself.  "  I  am  perfectly  well ;  and 
always  have  been,  ever  since  I  can  remember." 

After  this,  Hetty  went  no  more  with  her  hus 
band  to  see  Rachel.  When  he  asked  her,  she 
said  :  "  No,  Eben  :  I  am  going  to  see  her  alone. 
I  will  not  go  with  you  again.  She  makes  me 
uncomfortable.  If  -  she  makes  me  feel  so,  when 
I  am  alone  with  her,  I  shall  not  go  at  all.  I 
don't  like  clairvoyants." 

"  Why,  what  a  queer  notion  that  is  for  you, 
wife !  "  laughed  the  doctor,  and  thought  no  more 
of  it. 

Hetty's  first  interview  with  Rachel  was  a  con 
strained  one.  Nothing  in  Hetty's  life  had  pre 
pared  her  fior  intercourse  with  so  finely  organized 
a  creature  :  she  felt  afraid  to  speak,  lest  she 
should  wound  her ;  her  own  habits  of  thought 


164         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

and  subjects  of  interest  seemed  too  earthy  to  be 
mentioned  in  this  presence  ;  she  was  vaguely 
conscious  that  all  Rachel's  being  was  set  to  finer 
issues  than  her  own.  She  found  in  this  an  un 
speakable  attraction  ;  and  yet  it  also  withheld 
her  at  every  point  and  made  her  dumb.  In  spite 
of  these  conflicting  emotions,  she  wanted  to  love 
Rachel,  to  help  her,  to  be  near  her ;  and  she 
went  again  and  again,  until  the  constraint  wore 
off,  and  a  very  genuine  affection  grew  up  between 
them.  Never,  after  the  first  day,  had  she  felt 
any  peculiar  embarrassment  under  Rachel's  gaze, 
and  her  memory  of  it  had  nearly  died  away, 
when  one  day,  late  in  the  autumn,  it  was  sud 
denly  revived  with  added  intensity.  It  was  a 
day  on  which  Hetty  had  been  feeling  unusually 
sad.  Even  by  Rachel's  bedside  she  could  not 
quite  throw  off  the  sadness.  Unconsciously,  she 
had  been  sitting  for  a  long  time  silent.  As  she 
looked  up,  she  met  Rachel's  eyes  fixed  full  on 
hers,  with  the  same  penetrating  gaze  which  had 
so  disturbed  her  in  their  first  interview.  Rachel 
did  not  withdraw  her  gaze,  but  continued  to  look 
into  Hetty's  eyes,  steadily,  piercingly,  with  an 
expression  which  held  Hetty  spell-bound.  Pres 
ently  she  said : 

"  Dear  Mrs.  Williams,  you  are  thinking  some- 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         165 

thing  which  is  not  true.  Do  not  let  it  stay  with 
you." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Rachel  ? "  asked  Hetty, 
resentfully.  "  No  one  can  read  another  person's 
thoughts." 

"Not  exactly,"  replied  Rachel,  in  a  timid 
voice, "  but  very  nearly.  Since  I  have  been  ill,  I 
have  had  a  strange  power  of  telling  what  people 
were  thinking  about :  I  can  sometimes  tell  the 
exact  words.  I  cannot  tell  how  it  is.  I  seem  to 
read  them  in  the  air,  or  to  hear  them  spoken. 
And  I  can  always  tell  if  a  person  is  thinking 
either  wicked  thoughts  or  untrue  ones.  A 
wicked  person  always  looks  to  me  like  a  person 
in  a  fog.  There  have  been  some  people  in  this 
room  that  my  father  thought  very  good  ;  but  I 
knew  they  were  very  bad.  I  could  hardly  see 
their  faces  clear.  When  a  person  is  thinking 
mistaken  or  untrue  thoughts,  I  see  something 
like  a  shimmer  of  light  all  around  them  :  it  comes 
and  goes,  like  a  flicker  from  a  candle.  When 
you  first  came  in  to  see  me,  you  looked  so." 

"  Pshaw,  Rachel,"  said  Hetty,  resolutely. 
"That  is  all  nonsense.  It  is  just  the  nervous 
fancy  of  a  sick  girl.  You  mustn't  give  way  to 
it." 

"  I  should  think  so  too,"  replied  Rachel,  meekly. 


1 66        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  If  it  did  not  so  often  come  exactly  true.  My 
father  will  tell  you  how  often  we  have  tried  it." 

"Well,  then,  tell  me  what  I  was  thinking  just 
now,"  laughed  Hetty. 

Rachel  colored.  "  I  would  rather  not,"  she 
replied,  in  an  earnest  tone. 

"  Oh  !  you  're  afraid  it  won't  prove  true,"  said 
Hetty.  "  I  '11  take  the  risk,  if  you  will." 

Rachel  hesitated,  but  finally  repeated  her  first 
answer.  "  I  would  rather  not." 

Hetty  persisted,  and  Rachel,  with  great  re 
luctance,  answered  her  as  follows : 

"  You  were  thinking  about  yourself :  you  were 
dissatisfied  about  .something  in  yourself ;  you 
are  not  happy,  and  you  ought  to  be ;  you  are  so 
good." 

Hetty  listened  with  a  wonder-struck  face. 
She  disliked  this  more  than  she  had  ever  in  her 
life  disliked  any  thing  which  had  happened  to 
her.  She  did  not  speak. 

"Do  not  be  angry,"  said  Rachel.  "You  made 
me  tell  you." 

"  Oh  !  I  am  not  angry,"  said  Hetty.  "  I  'm  not 
so  stupid  as  that ;  but  it 's  the  most  disagreeable 
thing,  I  ever  knew.  Can  you  help  seeing  these 
things,  if  you  try?" 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  I  might,"   said  Rachel.     "  I 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         167 

never  try.  It  interests  me  to  see  what  people 
are  thinking  about." 

"  Humph  !  "  said  Hetty,  sarcastically.  "  I 
should  think  so.  You  might  make  your  fortune 
as  a  detective,  if  you  were  well  enough  to  go 
about  in  the  world." 

"  If  I  were  that,  I  should  lose  the  power,"  re 
plied  Rachel.  "  The  doctors  say  it  is  part  of 
the  disease." 

"  Rachel,"  exclaimed  Hetty,  vehemently,  "  I  '11 
never  come  near  you  again,  if  you  don't  promise 
not  to  use  this  power  of  yours  upon  me.  I 
should  never  feel  comfortable  one  minute  where 
you  are,  if  I  thought  you  were  reading  my 
thoughts.  Not  that  I  have  any  special  secrets," 
added  Hetty,  with  a  guilty  consciousness  ;  "  but 
I  suppose  everybody  thinks  thoughts  he  would 
rather  not  have  read." 

"  I  '11  promise  you,  indeed  I  will,  dear  Mrs. 
Williams,"  cried  Rachel,  much  distressed.  "  I 
never  have  read  you,  except  that  first  day.  It 
seemed  forced  upon  me  then,  and  to-day  too. 
But  I  promise  you,  I  will  not  do  it  again." 

"  I  suppose  I  shouldn't  know  if  you  were  doing 
it,  unless  you  told  me,"  said  Hetty,  reflectively. 

"  I  think  you  would,"  answered  Rachel.  "  Do 
I  not  look  peculiarly  ?  My  father  tells  me  that 
I  do." 


1 68         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  Yes,  you  do,"  replied  Hetty,  recollecting  that, 
in  each  of  these  instances,  she  had  been  much 
disturbed  by  Rachel's  look.  "  I  will  trust  you, 
then,  seeing  that  you  probably  can't  deceive  me." 

When  Hetty  told  the  doctor  of  this,  expecting 
that  he  would  dismiss  it  as  unworthy  of  attention, 
she  was  much  surprised  at  the  interest  he  showed 
in  the  account.  He  questioned  her  closely  as  to 
the  expression  of  Rachel's  face,  her  tones  of  voice, 
during  the  interval. 

"  And  was  it  true,  Hetty  ? "  he  asked  ;  "  was 
what  she  said  true  ?  Were  you  thinking  of  some 
thing  in  yourself  which  troubled  you  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  was,"  said  Hetty,  in  a  low  voice,  fear 
ing  that  her  husband  would  ask  her  what ;  but 
he  was  only  studying  the  incident  from  profes 
sional  curiosity. 

"  You  are  sure  of  that,  are  you  ? "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  very  sure,"  replied  Hetty. 

"  Extraordinary  !  'pon  my  word  extraordinary  ! " 
ejaculated  the  doctor.  "  I  have  read  of  such 
cases,  but  I  have  never  more  than  half  believed 
them.  I  'd  give  my  right  hand  to  cure  that  girl." 

"  Your  right  hand  is  not  yours  to  give,"  said 
Hetty,  playfully.  The  doctor  made  no  reply. 
He  was  deep  in  meditation  on  Rachel's  clairvoy 
ance.  Hetty  looked  at  him  for  some  moments, 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         169 

as  earnestly  as  Rachel  had  looked  at  her.  "  Oh 
if  I  could  only  have  that  power  Rachel  has ! " 
she  thought. 

"  Eben,"  she  said,  "  is  it  impossible  for  a 
healthy  person  to  be  a  clairvoyant  ? " 

"  Quite,"  answered  the  doctor,  with  a  sudden 
instinct  of  what  Hetty  meant.  "  No  chance  for 
you,  dear.  You  '11  never  get  at  any  of  my  secrets 
that  way.  You  might  as  well  try  to  make  your 
self  Rachel's  age  as  to  acquire  this  mysterious 
power  she  has." 

Unlucky  words  !  Hetty  bore  them  about  with 
her.  "That  showed  that  he  feels  that  I  am  old," 
she  said,  as  often  as  she  recalled  them. 

A  month  later,  as  she  was  sitting  with  Rachel 
one  morning,  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door. 
Hetty  was  sitting  in  such  a  position  that  she 
could  not  be  seen  from  the  door,  but  could  see, 
in  the  looking-glass  at  the  foot  of  Rachel's  bed, 
any  person  entering  the  room.  As  the  door 
opened,  she  looked  up,  and,  to  her  unspeakable 
surprise,  saw  her  husband  coming  in  ;  saw,  in 
the  same  swift  second's  glance,  the  look  of  glad 
ness  and  welcome  on  his  face,,  and  heard  him 
say,  in  tones  of  great  tenderness  : 

"  How  are  you  to-day,  precious  child  ? "  In 
the  next  instant,  he  had  seen  his  wife,  and  was, 


I/O        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

in  his  turn,  so  much  astonished,  that  the  look  of 
glad  welcome  which  he  had  bent  upon  Rachel, 
was  instantaneously  succeeded  by  one  of  blank 
surprise,  bent  upon  Hetty ;  surprise,  and  nothing 
else,  but  so  great  surprise  that  it  looked  almost 
like  dismay  and  confusion.  "  Why,  Hetty  !  "  he 
said,  "  I  did  not  expect  to  see  you  here." 

"  Nor  I  you,"  said  Hetty,  lightly  ;  but  the  light 
ness  of  tone  had  a  certain  something  of  con 
straint  in  it.  This  incident  was  one  of  those 
inexplicably  perverse  acts  of  Fate  which  make 
one  almost  believe  sometimes  in  the  depravity 
of  spirits,  if  not  in  that  of  men.  When  Dr. 
Eben  had  left  home  that  morning,  Hetty  had 
said  to  him  : 

"  Are  you  going  to  Springton,  to-day  ? " 

"  No,  not  to-day,"  was  the  reply. 

"  I  am  very  sorry,"  answered  Hetty.  "  I 
wanted  to  send  some  jelly  to  Rachel." 

"  Can't  go  to-day,  possibly,"  the  doctor  had 
said.  "  I  have  to  go  the  other  way." 

But  later  in  the  morning  he  had  met  a  mes 
senger  from  Springton,  riding  post-haste,  with 
an  imperative  call  which  could  not  be  deferred. 
And,  as  he  was  in  the  village,  he  very  natu 
rally  stopped  to  see  Rachel.  All  of  this  he 
explained  with  some  confusion  ;  feeling,  for 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         1 71 

the  first  time  in  his  long  married  life,  that  it 
was  awkward  for  a  man  to  have  to  account 
for  his  presence  in  any  particular  spot  at  any 
particular  time.  Hetty  betrayed  no  annoyance 
or  incredulity :  she  felt  none.  She  was  too 
sensible  and  reasonable  a  woman  to  have  felt 
either,  even  if  it  had  been  simply  a  change  of 
purpose  on  the  doctor's  own  part  which  had 
brought  him  to  Springton.  The  thing  which 
had  lent  the  shade  of  constraint  to  Hetty's 
voice,  and  which  lay  like  an  icy  mountain 
on  Hetty's  heart,  was  the  look  which  she 
had  seen  on  his  face,  the  tone  which  she  had 
heard  in  his  voice,  as  he  greeted  Rachel.  In 
that  instant  was  planted  the  second  germ  of 
unhappiness  in  Hetty's  bosom.  Of  jealousy,  in 
the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  term  ;  of  its  ca 
prices,  suspicions,  subterfuges ;  and,  above  all,  of 
its  resentments,  —  Hetty  was  totally  incapable. 
If  it  had  been  made  evident  to  her  in  any  one 
moment,  that  her  husband  loved  another  woman, 
her  first  distinct  thoughts  would  have  been  of 
sorrow  for  him  rather  than  for  herself,  and  of 
perplexity  as  to  what  could  be  done  to  make  him 
happy  again.  At  this  moment,  however,  noth 
ing  took  distinct  shape  in  Hetty's  mind.  It  was 
merely  the  vague  pain  of  a  loving  woman's  sen- 


1/2        HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

sitive  heart,  surprised  by  the  sight  of  tender 
looks  and  tones  given  by  her  husband  to  another 
woman.  It  was  wholly  a  vague  pain,  but  it  was 
the  germ  of  a  great  one ;  and,  falling  as  it  did 
on  Hetty's  already  morbid  consciousness  of  her 
own  loss  of  youth  and  beauty  and  attractive 
ness,  it  fell  into  soil  where  such  germs  ripen  as 
in  a  hot-bed.  In  a  less  noble  nature  than  Het 
ty's  there  would  have  grown  up  side  by  side  with 
this  pain  a  hatred  of  Rachel,  or,  at  least,  an  an 
tagonism  towards  her.  In  the  fine  equilibrium 
of  Hetty's  moral  -nature,  such  a  thing  was  im 
possible.  She  felt  from  that  day  a  new  interest 
in  Rachel.  She  looked  at  her,  often  scrutiniz- 
ingly,  and  thought :  "  Ah,  if  she  were  but  well, 
what  a  sweet  young  wife  she  might  make !  I 
wish  Eben  could  have  had  such  a  wife !  How 
much  better  it  would  have  been  for  him  than 
having  me  ! "  She  began  now  to  go  oftener  with 
her  husband  to  visit  Rachel.  Closely,  but  with 
no  sinister  motive,  no  trace  of  ill-feeling,  she 
listened  to  all  which  they  said.  She  observed 
the  peculiar  gentleness  with  which  the  doctor 
spoke,  and  the  docility  with  which  Rachel  lis 
tened  ;  and  she  said  to  herself :  "  That  is  quite 
unlike  Eben's  manner  to  me,  or  mine  to  him.  I 
wonder  if  that  is  not  more  nearly  the  way  it 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         1/3 

ought  to  be  between  husbands  and  wives.  The 
wife  ought  to  look  up  to  her  husband  as  a  little 
child  does."  Now,  much  as  Hetty  loved  Dr. 
Eben,  passionately  as  her  whole  life  centred 
around  him,  there  had  never  b^en  such  a  feel 
ing  as  this :  they  were  the  heartiest  of  com 
rades,  but  each  life  was  on  a  plane  of  absolute 
independence.  Hetty  pondered  much  on  this. 


174         HETTY'S  STRANGE   HISTORY. 


XI. 


/^\NE  day,  as  they  sat  by  Rachel's  bed,  the 
doctor  had  been  counting  her  pulse.  Her 
little  white  hand  looked  like  a  baby's  hand  in  his. 
Holding  it  up,  he  said  to  Hetty  : 

"  Look  at  that  hand.  It  couldn't  do  much 
work,  could  it ! " 

Involuntarily  Hetty  stretched  out  her  large, 
well-knit  brown  hand,  and  put  it  by  the  side  of 
Rachel's.  There  are  many  men  who  would  have 
admired  Hetty's  hand  the  more  of  the  two.  It 
was  a  much  more  significant  hand.  To  one 
who  could  read  palmistry,  it  meant  all  that 
Hetty  was ;  and  it  was  symmetrical  and  firm. 
But,  at  that  moment,  to  Dr.  Eben  it  looked 
large  and  masculine. 

"  Oh,  take  it  away,  Hetty  ! "  he  said,  thought 
lessly.  "  It  looks  like  a  man's  hand  by  the  side 
of  this  child's." 

Hetty  laughed.  She  thought  so  too.  But 
the  words  remained  in  her  mind,  and  allied 


HKTTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         1/5 

themselves  to  words  that  had  gone  before,  and 
to  things  that  had  happened,  and  to  thoughts 
which  were  restlessly  growing,  growing  in  Het 
ty's  bosom. 

If  Rachel  had  remained  an  invalid,  probably 
Hetty's  thoughts  of  her,  as  connected  with  her 
husband,  would  never  have  gone  beyond  this 
vague  stage  which  we  have  tried  to  describe. 
She  would  have  been  to  Hetty  only  the  sug 
gestion  of  a  possible  ideal  wife,  who,  had  she 
lived,  and  had  she  entered  into  Dr.  Eben's 
life,  might  have  made  him  happier  than  Hetty 
could.  But  Rachel  grew  better  and  stronger 
every  day.  Early  in  the  spring  she  began  to 
walk,  —  creeping  about,  at  first,  like  a  little  child 
just  learning  to  walk,  by  pushing  a  chair  before 
her.  Then  she  walked  with  a  cane  and  her 
father's  arm  ;  then  with  the  cane  alone  ;  and  at 
last,  one  day  in  May, —  oddly  enough  it  was  the 
anniversary  of  Hetty's  wedding-day, —  Dr.  Eben 
burst  into  her  room,  exclaiming  :  "  Hetty  !  Hetty  ! 
Rachel  has  walked  several  rods  alone.  She  is 
cured  !  She  is  going  to  be  as  well  as  anybody." 

The  doctor's  face  was  flushed  with  excitement. 
Never  had  he  had  what  seemed  to  him  so  great 
a  professional  triumph.  It  was  the  physician 
and  not  the  man  that  felt  so  intensely.  Bat 


1/6        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

Hetty  could  not  wholly  know  this.  She  had 
shared  his  deep  anxiety  about  the  case ;  and 
she  had  shared  much  of  his  strong  interest  in 
Rachel,  and  it  was  with  an  unaffected  pleasure 
that  she  exclaimed  :  "  Oh,  I  'm  so  thankful ! " 
but  her-  next  sentence  was  one  which  arrested 
her  husband's  attention,  and  seemed  to  him  a 
strange  one. 

"Then  there  is  nothing  to  hinder  her  being 
married,  is  there  ?  " 

"  Why,  no,"  laughed  the  doctor,  "  nothing,  ex 
cept  the  lack  of  a  man  fit  to  marry  her !  What 
put  such  a  thought  as  that  into  your  head, 
Hetty  ?  I  don't  believe  Rachel  Barlow  will  ever 
be  married.  I  'm  sure  I  don't  know  the  man 
that 's  worthy  to  so  much  as  kiss  the  child's 
feet ! "  and  the  unconscious  Dr..  Eben  hast 
ened  away,  little  dreaming  what  a  shaft  he 
had  sped. 

Hetty  stood  at  the  open  window,  watching 
him,  as  far  as  she  could  see  him,  among  the 
pines.  The  apple  orchard,  near  the  house,  was 
in  full  bloom,  and  the  fragrance  came  in  at 
every  window.  A  vase  of  the  blossoms  stood 
on  Hetty's  bureau :  it  was  one  of  her  few, 
tender  reminiscences,  the  love  which  she  had 
had  for  apple  blossoms  ever  since  the  night  of 


HETTY'S  STRAXGE  HISTORY.         1 77 

her  marriage.  She  held  a  little  cluster  of  them 
now  in  her  hand,  as  she  leaned  on  the  window- 
sill  ;  they  had  been  gathered  for  some  days,  and, 
as  a  light  wind  stirred  the  air,  all  the  petals  fell, 
and  slowly  fluttered  down  to  the  ground.  Hetty 
looked  wistfully  at  the  bare  stems.  A  distinct 
purpose  at  that  moment  was  forming  in  her 
mind  ;  a  purpose  distinct  in  its  aim,  but,  as  yet, 
very  vague  in  its  shape.  She  was  saying  to  her 
self  :  "  If  I  were  out  of  the  way,  Eben  might 
marry  Rachel.  He  needn't  say,  he  doesn't  know 
a  man  fit  to  do  it.  He  is  fit  to  marry  any  woman 
God  ever  made,  and  I  believe  he  would  be  hap 
pier  with  such  a  wife  as  that,  and  with  children, 
than  he  can  ever  be  with  me." 

Even  now  there  was  in  Hetty  no  morbid  jeal 
ousy,  no  resentment,  no  suspicion  that  her  hus 
band  had  been  disloyal  to  her  even  in  thought. 
There  had  simply  been  forced  upon  her,  by  the 
slow  accumulations  of  little  things,  the  conviction 
that  her  husband  would  be  happier  with  another 
woman  for  his  wife  than  with  her.  It  is  probably 
impossible  to  portray  in  words  all  the  processes 
of  this  remarkable  woman's  mind  and  heart  dur 
ing  these  extraordinary  passages  of  her  life. 
They  will  seem,  judged  by  average  standards, 
morbid  and  unhealthy :  yet  there  was  no  mor- 


1/8        HETTY1  S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

bidness  in  them  ;  unless  we  are  to  call  morbid 
all  the  great  and  glorious  army  of  men  and 
women  who  have  laid  down  their  own  lives  for 
the  sake  of  others.  That  same  fine  and  rare 
quality  of  self-abnegation  which  has  inspired 
missionaries'  lives  and  martyrs'  deaths,  inspired 
Hetty  now.  The  morbidness,  if  there  were  any, 
was  in  the  first  entering  into  her  mind  of  the 
belief  that  her  husband's  happiness  could  be 
secured  in  any  way  so  well  as  by  her.  But  here 
let  us  be  just  to  Hetty.  The  view  she  took  was 
the  common-sense  view,  which  probably  would 
have  been  taken  by  nine  out  of  ten  of  all  Dr. 
Eben's  friends.  Who  could  say  that  it  did  not 
stand  to  reason,  that  a  man  would  be  happier 
with  a  wife,  young,  beautiful,  of  angelic  sweet 
ness  of  nature,  and  the  mother  of  sons  and 
daughters,  than  with  an  old,  childless,  and  less 
attractive  woman.  The  strange  thing  was  that 
any  wife  could  take  this  common-sense  view  of 
such  a  situation.  It  was  not  strange  in  Hetty, 
however.  It  was  simply  the  carrying  out  of  the 
impulses  and  motives  which  had  characterized 
her  whole  life. 

About  this  time,  Hetty  began  with  Raby  to 
practise  rowing  on  Welbury  Lake.  This  lake 
was  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  lying  between 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 


Welbury  and  Springton.  It  was  some  two  miles 
long,  and  one  wide  ;  and  held  two  or  three  little 
wooded  islands,  which  were  much  resorted  to  in 
the  summer.  On  two  sides  of  the  lake,  rose  high, 
rocky  precipices  ;  no  landing  was  possible  there  : 
the  other  two  sides  were  thick  wooded  forests  of 
pines  and  hemlocks.  Nothing  could  exceed  in 
loveliness  the  situation  of  this  lake.  Two  roads 
led  to  it  :  one  from  the  Springton,  the  other 
from  the  Welbury  side  ;  both  running  through 
the  hemlock  forests.  In  the  winter  these  were 
used  for  carrying  out  ice,  which  was  cut  in  great 
quantities  on  the  lake.  In  the  summer,  no  one 
crossed  these  roads,  except  parties  of  pleasure- 
seekers  who  went  to  sail  or  row  on  the  lake.  In 
a  shanty  on  the  Welbury  side,  lived  an  old  man, 
who  made  a  little  money  every  summer  by  rent 
ing  a  few  rather  leaky  boats,  and  taking  charge 
of  such  boats  as  were  kept  moored  at  his  beach 
by  their  owners. 

Hetty  had  promised  Raby  that  when  he  was 
ten  years  old  he  should  have  a  fine  boat,  and 
learn  to  row.  The  time  had  come  now  for  her 
to  keep  this  promise.  Every  Saturday  afternoon 
during  the  summer  following  Rachel's  recovery, 
Hetty  and  Raby  spent  on  the  lake.  Hetty 
was  a  strong  and  skilful  oars-woman.  Little 


180        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

Raby  soon  learned  to  manage  the  boat  as  well 
as  she  did.  The  lake  was  considered  unsafe 
for  sail-boats,  on  account  of  flaws  of  wind 
which  often,  without  any  warning,  beat  down 
from  the  hills  on  the  west  side ;  but  row 
ing  there  was  one  of  the  chief  pleasures  of  the 
young  people  of  Welbury  and  Springton.  In 
Hetty's  present  frame  of  mind,  this  lonely  lake 
had  a  strange  fascination  for  her.  In  her  youth 
she  had  never  loved  it :  she  had  always  been 
eager  to  land  on  one  of  the  islands,  and  spend 
hours  in  the  depths  of  the  fragrant  woods, 
rather  than  on  the  dark  and  silent  water.  But 
now  she  never  wearied  of  rowing  round  and 
round  its  water  margin,  and  looking  down  into 
its  unsounded  depths.  It  was  believed  that  Wel 
bury  Lake  was  unfathomable ;  but  this  notion 
probably  had  its  foundation  in  the  limited  facili 
ties  in  that  region  for  sounding  deep  waters. 

One  day  Hetty  rowed  across  the  lake  to  the 
point  where  the  Springton  road  came  down  to 
the  shore.  Pushing  the  boat  up  on  the  beach, 
she  sprang  out ;  and,  telling  Raby  to  wait  there 
till  she  returned,  she  walked  rapidly  up  the  road. 
A*  guide-post  said,  "  Six  miles  to  Springton." 
Hetty  stood  some  time  looking  reflectingly  at 
this  sign  :  then  she  walked  on  for  half  a  mile, 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         l8l 

till  she  came  to  another  road  running  north  ; 
here  a  guide-post  said,  "  Fairfield,  five  miles." 
This  was  what  Hetty  was  in  search  of.  As  she 
read  the  sign,  she  said  in  a  low  tone :  "  Five 
miles  ;  that  is  easily  walked."  Then  she  turned 
and  hastened  back  to  the  shore,  stopping  on  the 
way  to  gather  for  Raby  a  big  bunch  of  the 
snowy  Indian-pipes,  which  grew  in  shining 
clumps  in  the  moist  dark  hemlock  woods.  A 
strange  and  terrible  idea  was  slowly  taking 
possession  of  Hetty.  Day  and  night  it  haunted 
her.  Once  having  been  entertained  as  possible, 
it  could  never  be  banished  from  her  mind.  How 
such  an  impulse  could  have  become  deep-seated 
in  a  nature  like  Hetty's  will  for  ever  remain  a 
mystery.  One  would  have  said  that  she  was  the 
last  woman  in  the  world  to  commit  a  morbid  or 
ill-regulated  act.  But  the  act  she  was  meditat 
ing  now  was  one  which  seemed  like  the  act 
of  insanity.  Yet  had  Hetty  never  in  her  life 
seemed  farther  removed  from  any  such  ten 
dency.  She  was  calm,  cheerful,  self-contained. 
If  any  one  saw  any  change  in  her,  it  seemed 
like  nothing  more  than  the  natural  increase  of 
quiet  and  decorum  coming  with  her  increased 
age.  Even  her  husband,  when  he  looked  back 
on  these  months,  trying  in  anguish  to  remember 


1 82        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

every  day,  every  hour,  could  recall  no  word  or 
deed  or  look  of  hers  which  had  seemed  to  him 
unnatural.  And  yet  there  was  not  a  day,  hardly 
an  hour,  in  which  her  mind  was  not  occupied 
with  the  details  of  a  plan  for  going  away  secretly 
from  her  house,  under  such  circumstances  as  to 
make  it  appear  that  she  had  been  drowned  in 
the  lake.  That  she  must  leave  her  husband 
free  to  marry  Rachel  Barlow  had  become  a  fixed 
idea  in  Hetty's  mind.  She  was  too  conscientious 
to  kill  herself  for  this  purpose  :  moreover,  she  did 
not  in  the  least  wish  to  die.  She  was  very  un 
happy  in  this  keen  conviction  that  she  no  longer 
sufficed  for  her  husband's  happiness  ;  that  she 
was,  as  she  would  have  phrased  it, "  in  the  way." 
But  she  was  not  heart-broken  over  it,  as  a  sen 
timental  and  feeble  woman  would  have  been. 
"  There  is  plenty  to  do  in  the  world,"  she  said 
to  herself.  "  I  've  got  a  good  many  years'  work 
left  in  me  yet :  the  thing  is  how  to  get  at  it." 
For  many  weeks  she  had  revolved  the  matter 
hopelessly,  till  one  day,  as  she  was  rowing  with 
Raby  on  the  lake,  she  heard  a  whistle  of  a 
steam-engine  on  the  Springton  side  of  the  lake. 
In  that  second,  her  whole  plan  flashed  upon  her 
brain.  She  remembered  that  a  railroad,  leading 
to  Canada,  ran  between  Springton  and  the  lake. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         183 

She  remembered  that  there  was  a  station  not 
many  miles  from  Springton.  She  remembered 
that  far  up  in  Canada  was  a  little  French  vil 
lage,  St.  Mary's,  where  she  had  once  spent  part 
of  a  summer  with  her  father.  St.  Mary's  was 
known  far  and  near  for  its  medicinal  springs, 
and  the  squire  had  been  sent  there  to  try  them. 
'She  remembered  that  there  was  a  Roman  Cath 
olic  priest  there  of  whom  her  father  had  been 
very  fond.  She  remembered  that  there  were 
Sisters  of  Charity  there,  who  used  to  go  about 
nursing  the  sick.  She  remembered  the  physi 
cian  under  whose  care  her  father  was.  She  re 
membered  all  these  things  with  a  startling  vivid 
ness  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  before  the  echoes 
of  the  steam-engine's  whistle  had  died  away  on 
the  air.  She  was  almost  paralyzed  by  the  sudden 
ness  and  the  clearness  with  which  she  was  im 
pressed  that  she  must  go  to  St.  Mary's.  She 
dropped  the  oars,  leaned  forward,  and  looked 
eagerly  at  the  opening  in  the  woods  where  the 
Springton  road  touched  the  shore. 

"  What  is  it,  aunty  ?  What  do  you  see  !  " 
asked  Raby.  The  child's  voice  recalled  her  to 
herself. 

"  Nothing  !  nothing  !  Raby.  I  was  only  lis 
tening  to  the  car-whistle.  Didn't  you  hear  it  ?" 
answered  Hetty. 


1 84        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  No,"  said  Raby.  "  Where  are  they  going  ? 
Can't  you  take  me  some  day." 

The  innocent  words  smote  on  Hetty's  heart. 
How  should  she  leave  Raby  ?  What  would  her 
life  be  without  him  ?  his  without  her  ?  But 
thinking  about  herself  had  never  been  Hetty's 
habit.  That  a  thing  would  be  hard  for  her  had 
never  been  to  Hetty  any  reason  for  not  doing 
it,  since  >she  was  twelve  years  old.  From  all  the 
pain  and  loss  which  were  involved  to  her  in  this 
terrible  step  she  turned  resolutely  away,  and 
never  thought  about  them  except  with  a  guilty 
sense  of  selfishness.  She  believed  with  all  the 
intensity  of  a  religious  conviction  that  it  would 
be  better  for  her  husband,  now,  to  have  Rachel 
Barlow  for  his  wife.  She  believed,  with  the  same 
intensity,  that  she  alone  stood  in  the  way  of  this 
good  for  him.  Call  it  morbid,  call  it  unnatural, 
call  it  wicked  if  you  will,  in  Hetty  Williams  to 
have  this  belief:  you  must  judge  her  conduct 
from  its  standpoint,  and  from  no  other.  The 
belief  had  gained  possession  of  her.  She  could 
no  more  gainsay  it,  resist  it,  than  if  it  had  been 
communicated  to  her  by  supernatural  beings  of 
visible  presence  and  actual  speech.  Given  this 
belief,  then  her  whole  conduct  is  lifted  to  a  plane 
of  heroism,  takes  rank,  with  the  grand  martyr- 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         185 

doms  ;  and  is  not  to  be  lightly  condemned  by 
any  who  remember  the  words,  —  "  Greater  love 
hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his 
life  for  his  friend." 

The  more  Hetty  thought  over  her  plan,  the 
simpler  and  more  feasible  it  appeared.  More 
and  more  she  concentrated  all  her  energies  on 
the  perfecting  of  every  detail  :  she  left  nothing 
unthought  of,  either  in  her  arrangements  for  her 
own  future,  or  in  her  arrangements  for  those  she 
left  behind.  Her  will  had  been  made  for  many 
years,  leaving  unreservedly  to  her  husband  the 
whole  estate  of  "  Gunn's,"  and  also  all  her  other 
property,  except  a  legacy  to  Jim  and  Sally,  and 
a  few  thousand  dollars  to  old  Caesar  and  Nan. 
Hetty  was  singularly  alone  in  the  world.  She 
had  no  kindred  to  whom  she  felt  that  she  owed 
a  legacy.  As  she  looked  forward  to  her  own 
departure,  she  thought  with  great  satisfaction  of 
the  wealth  which  would  now  be  her  husband's. 
"  He  will  sell  the  farm,  no  doubt,  —  it  isn't  likely 
that  he  will  care  to  live  on  here  ;  and  when  he 
has  it  all  in  money  he  can  go  to  Europe,  as  he 
has  so  often  said  he  would,"  she  said  to  herself, 
still,  as  ever,  planning  for  her  husband's  enjoy 
ment. 

As  the  autumn  drew  near,  she  went  oftener 


1 86         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

with  Raby  to  row  on  the  Lake.  A  spell  seemed 
to  draw  her  to  the  spot.  She  continually  lived 
over,  in  her  mind,  all  the  steps  she  must  take 
when  the  time  came.  She  rowed  slowly  back 
and  forth  past  the  opening  of  the  Springton 
road,  and  fancied  her  own  figure  walking  alone 
up  that  bank  for  the  last  time.  Several  times 
she  left  Raby  in  the  boat,  and  walked  as  far  as 
the  Fairfield  guide-post,  and  returned.  At  last 
she  had  rehearsed  the  terrible  drama  so  many 
times  that  it  almost  seemed  to  her  as  if  it  had 
already  happened,  and  she  found  it  strange  to  be 
in  her  own  house  with  her  husband  and  Jim  and 
Sally  and  her  servants.  Already  she  began  to 
feel  herself  dissevered  from  them.  When  every 
thing  was  ready,  she  shrank  from  taking  the  final 
step.  Three  times  she  went  with  Raby  to  the 
Lake,  having  determined  within  herself  not  to 
return  ;  but  her  courage  failed  her,  and  she  found 
a  ready  excuse  for  deferring  all  until  the  next 
day.  She  had  forgotten  some  little  thing,  or  the 
weather  looked  threatening ;  and  the  last  time 
she  went  back,  it  was  simply  to  kiss  her  husband 
again.  "  One  day  more  or  less  cannot  make 
any  difference,"  she  said  to  herself.  "  I  will  kiss 
Eben  once  more."  Oh,  what  a  terrible  thing  is 
this  barrier  of  flesh,  which  separates  soul  from 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         1 87 

soul,  even  in  the  closest  relation  !  Our  nearest 
and  dearest  friend,  sitting  so  near  that  we  can 
hear  his  every  breath,  can  see  if  his  blood  runs 
by  a  single  pulse-beat  faster  to  his  cheek,  may 
yet  be  thinking  thoughts  which,  if  we  could  read 
them,  would  break  our  hearts.  When  the  time 
came  in  which  Eben  Williams  tried  to  recall  the 
last  moments  in  which  he  had  seen  his  wife, 
all  he  could  recollect  was  that  she  kissed  him 
several  times  with  more  than  usual  affection. 
At  the  time  he  had  hardly  noted  it:  he  was  just 
setting  off  to  see  a  patient,  and  Raby  was  urging 
Hetty  to  make  haste ;  and  their  good-byes  had 
been  hurried. 

It  was  on  a  warm  hazy  day  in  October.  The 
woods  through  which  Hetty  and  Raby  walked 
to  the  lake  were  full  of  low  dogwood  bushes, 
whose  leaves  were  brilliant ;  red,  pink,  yellow, 
and  in  places  almost  white.  Raby  gathered 
boughs  of  these,  and  carried  them  to  the  boat. 
It  was  his  delight  to  scatter  such  bright  leaves 
from  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  watch  them  fol 
lowing  in  its  wake.  They  landed  on  the  small 
island  nearest  the  Springton  shore,  and  looked 
for  wild  grapes,  which  were  now  beginning  to 
be  ripe.  After  an  hour  or  two  here,  Hetty  told 
Raby  that  they  must  set  out :  she  had  errands  to 


1 88         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

do  in  the  town  before  going  home.  She  rowed 
very  quickly  to  the  beach,  and,  just  as  they  were 
leaving  the  boat,  she  exclaimed : 

"  Oh,  Raby,  I  have  left  my  shawl  on  the  island  ; 
way  around  on  the  other  side  it  is  too.  I  must 
row  back  and  get  it." 

Raby  was  about  to  jump  into  the  boat,  but 
she  exclaimed : 

"  No,  you  stay  here,  and  wait.  I  can  row 
a  great  deal  quicker  with  only  one  in  the 
boat.  Here,  dear,"  she  said,  taking  off  her  watch, 
and  hanging  it  round  his  neck,  "you  can  have 
this  to  keep  you  from  being  lonely,  and  you  can 
tell  by  this  how  long  it  will  be  before  I  get  back. 
Watch  the  hands,  and  that  will  make  the  time 
seem  shorter,  they  go  so  fast.  It  will  take  me 
about  half  an  hour  ;  that  will  be — let  me  see — 
yes  —  just  five  o'clock.  There  is  a  good  long 
daylight  after  that ;"  and,  kissing  him,  she  jumped 
into  the  boat  and  pushed  off.  What  a  moment 
it  was.  Her  arms  seemed  to  be  paralyzed  ;  but, 
summoning  all  her  will,  she  drove  the  boat  reso 
lutely  forward,  and  looked  no  more  back  at  Raby. 
As  soon  as  she  had  gained  the  other  side  of  the 
island,  where  she  was  concealed  from  Raby's 
sight  by  the  trees,  she  pulled  out  vigorously  for 
the  Springton  shore.  When  she  reached  it,  she 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         189 

drew  the  boat  up  cautiously  on  the  beach,  fast 
ened  it,  and  hid  herself  among  the  trees.  Her 
plan  was  to  wait  there  until  dusk,  then  push  the 
boat  adrift  in  the  lake,  and  go  out  herself  adrift 
into  the  world.  She  dared  not  set  out  on  her  walk 
to  Fairfield  until  it  was  dark  ;  she  knew,  more 
over,  that  the  northern  train  did  not  pass  until 
nearly  midnight.  These  hours  that  Hetty  spent 
crouched  under  the  hemlock-trees  on  the  shore  of 
the  lake  were  harder  than  any  which  she  lived 
through  afterward.  She  kept  her  eyes  fixed  on 
the  opposite  shore,  on  the  spot  where  she  knew 
the  patient  child  was  waiting  for  her.  She  pic 
tured  him  walking  back  and  forth,  trying  by 
childish  devices  to  while  away  the  time.  As  the 
sun  sank  low  she  imagined  his  first  anxious 
look,  —  his  alarm, —  till  it  seemed  impossible 
for  her  to  bear  the  thoughts  her  imagination 
called  up.  He  would  wait,  she  thought,  about 
one  hour  past  the  time  that  she  had  set  for  her 
return  :  possibly,  for  he  was  a  brave  child,  he 
might  wait  until  it  began  to  grow  dark  ;  he 
would  think  that  she  was  searching  for  the 
shawl.  She  hoped  that  any  other  explanation  of 
her  absence  would  not  occur  to  him  until  the 
very  last.  As  the  twilight  deepened  into  dusk, 
the  mysterious  night  sounds  began  to  come  up 


ICjO         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

from  the  woods ;  strange  bird  notes,  stealthy 
steps  of  tiny  creatures.  Hetty's  nerves  thrilled 
with  the  awful  loneliness  :  she  could  bear  it  no 
longer  ;  she  began  to  walk  up  and  down  the 
beach ;  the  sound  of  her  footsteps  drowned 
many  of  the  mysterious  noises,  and  made  her 
feel  less  alone.  At  last  it  was  dark.  With  all 
her  strength  she  turned  her  boat  bottom  side 
up,  shoved  it  out  into  the  lake,  and  threw  the 
oars  after  it.  Then  she  wrapped  herself  in  a 
dark  cloak,  and  walked  at  a  rapid  pace  up  the 
Springton  road.  When  she  reached  the  road 
which  led  to  Fairfield,  she  stopped,  leaned 
against  the  guide-post,  and  looked  back  and 
hesitated.  It  seemed  as  if  the  turning  north 
ward  were  the  turning  point  of  every  thing.  Her 
heart  was  very  heavy  :  almost  her  purpose  failed 
her.  "  It  is  too  late  to  go  back  now,"  she  said, 
and  hurried  on. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY,         IQI 


XII. 

r  I"* HE  station-master  at  Fairfield,  if  he  had 
been  asked  whether  a  woman  took  the 
midnight  train  north  at  Fairfield  that  night, 
would  have  unhesitatingly  said,  "  No."  An  in 
stinctive  wisdom  seemed  to  direct  Hetty's  every 
step.  She  waited  at  some  little  distance  from 
the  station  till  the  train  came  up  :  then,  without 
going  upon  the  station  platform  at  all,  she  en 
tered  the  rear  car  from  the  opposite  side  of  the 
road.  No  one  saw  her  ;  not  even  a  brakeman. 
When  the  train  began  to  move,  the  sense  of 
what  she  had  done  smote  her  with  a  sudden  ter 
ror,  and  she  sprang  to  her  feet,  but  sank  down 
again,  before  any  of  the  sleepy  passengers  had 
observed  her  motion.  In  a  few  moments  she  was 
calm.  Her  long  habits  of  firm,  energetic  action 
began  to  resume  sway  :  she  compelled  herself  to 
look  forward  into  the  future,  and  not  backward 
into  the  past  she  was  so  resolutely  leaving  be 
hind  her.  ^jtrangely  enough,  it  was  not  her 


1 92        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

husband  that  she  found  hardest  to  banish  from 
her  thoughts  now,  but  Raby.  She  could  not 
escape  from  the  vivid  imagination  of  the  dear 
child  running  in  terror  alone  through  the  long 
stretch  of  woods. 

"  I  wonder  if  he  will  cry,"  thought  poor  Hetty: 
"  I  hope  not."  And  the"  tears  filled  her  eyes. 
Then  she  fell  to  wondering  if  there  would  be 
any  doubt  in  anybody's  mind  that  her  boat  had 
suddenly  capsized.  "  They  will  think  I  leaned 
over  to  pick  something  off  the  bushes  on  the 
edge  of  the  island,"  said  she.  "  I  have  come 
very  near  capsizing  that  way  more  than  once, 
and  I  have  always  told  Eben  when  it  had  hap 
pened.  That  is  the  first  thing  he  will  think  of." 
And  thus,  in  a  maze  of  incoherent  crowding  con 
jectures  and  imaginings,  all  making  up  one  great 
misery,  Hetty  sat  whirling  away  from  her  home. 
By  and  by,  her  brain  grew  less  active  ;  thought 
was  paralyzed  by  pain.  She  sat  motionless, 
taking  no  note  of  the  hours  of  the  night  as  they 
sped  by,  and  roused  from  her  dull  reverie  only 
when  she  saw  the  first  faint  red  tinge  of  dawn 
in  the  eastern  sky.  Then  she  started  up,  with 
a  fresh  realization  of  all.  "  Oh,  it  is  morning  !  " 
she  said.  "  Have  they  given  over  looking  for 
me,  I  wonder.  I  suppose  they  have  been  look- 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         193 

ing  all  night.  By  this  time,  they  must  be  sure 
I  am  drowned.  After  I  know  all  that  is  over,  I 
shall  feel  easier.  It  can't  be  quite  so  hard  to 
bear  as  this." 

In  all  Hetty's  imaginings  of  her  plan,  she  had 
leaped  over  the  interval  of  transition  from  the 
life  she  left  to  the  life  she  proposed  to  lead.  She 
had  pictured  herself  always  as  having  attained 
the  calm  rest  of  the  shelter  she  would  seek, 
the  strong  moral  support  of  the  work  she  would 
do.  She  had  not  dwelt  on  this  wretched  inter 
val  of  concealment  and  flight  ;  she  had  not 
thought  of  this  period  of  being  an  unknown 
outcast.  A  sense  of  ignominy  began  to  crush 
her.  It  was  a  new  thing  for  her  to  avoid  a 
human  eye :  she  felt  guilty,  ashamed,  terror- 
stricken  ;  and,  doubly  veiling  her  face,  she  sat 
with  her  eyes  closed,  and  her  head  turned  away, 
like  one  asleep  or  ill.  The  day  dragged  slowly 
on.  Now  and  then  she  left  the  train,  and  bought 
a  new  ticket  to  carry  her  farther.  Even  had 
there  been  suspicions  of  her  flight,  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  have  traced  her,  so  skil 
fully  had  she  managed.  She  had  provided  her 
self  with  a  time-table  of  the  entire  route,  and 
bought  new  tickets  only  at  points  of  junction 
where  several  roads  met,  and  no  attention  could 
possibly  be  drawn  to  any  one  traveller. 
13 


194         HETTY >S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

At  night  she  reached  the  city,  where  she  had 
planned  to  remain  for  some  days,  to  make  pur 
chases.  When  she  entered  the  hotel,  and  was 
asked  to  register  her  name,  no  one  who  saw  the 
quick  and  ready  signature  which  she  wrote 
would  have  dreamed  that  it  was  not  her  own  : 
"  Mrs.  HIBBA  SMAILLI, 

St.  Mary's, 

Canada." 

"  One  of  those  Welsh  women,  from  St.  Mary's, 
I  guess,"  said  the  clerk  ;  "  they  all  have  those 
fresh,  florid  skins  when  they  first  come  over 
here."  And  with  this  remark  he  dismissed 
Hetty  from  his  mind,  only  wondering  now  and 
then,  as  he  saw  her  so  often  coming  in,  laden 
with  parcels,  "  what  a  St.  Mary's  woman  wanted 
with  so  many  things." 

During  these  days,  while  Hetty  was  unflinch 
ingly  going  forward  with  all  her  preparations 
for  her  new  home,  the  home  she  had  left  was  a 
scene  of  terrible  dismay  and  suffering. 

It  was  long  after  dark  when  little  Raby, 
breathless  and  sobbing,  had  burst  open  the  sit 
ting-room  door,  crying  out : 

"  Auntie  's  drowned  in  the  lake.  I  know  she 
is  ;  or  else  a  bear 's  eaten  her  up.  She  said 
she  'd  be  back  in  an  hour.  And  here 's  her 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         195 

watch,"  —  opening  his  little  hot  hand,  in  which 
he  had  held  the  watch  tight  through  all  his 
running,  —  "  she  gave  it  to  me  to  hold  till  she 
came  back.  And  she  said  it  would  be  five ; 
and  I  stayed  till  seven,  and  she  never  came  ;  and 
a  man  brought  me  home."  And  Raby  flung 
himself  on  the  floor,  crying  convulsively. 

His  father  and  mother  tried  to  calm  him, 
and  to  get  a  more  exact  account  from  him  of 
what  had  happened  ;  but,  between  their  alarm 
and  his  hysterical  crying,  all  was  confusion. 

Presently,  the  man  entered  who  had  brought 
Raby  home  in  his  wagon.  He  was  a  stranger 
to  them  all.  His  narrative  merely  corroborated 
Raby's,  but  threw  no  light  on  what  had  gone 
before.  He  had  found  the  child  on  the  main 
roa"d,  running  very  fast,  and  crying  aloud.  He 
had  asked  him  to  jump  into  his  wagon  ;  and 
Raby  had  replied:  "Yes,  sir:  if  you. will  whip 
your  horse  and  make  him  run  all  the  way  to  my 
house  ?  My  auntie  's  drowned  in  the  lake  ;  " 
and  this  was  all  the  child  had  said. 

Poor  Raby !  his  young  nerves  had  entirely 
given  way  under  the  strain  of  those  hours 
of  anxious  waiting.  He  had  borne  the  first 
hour  very  well.  When  the  watch  said  it  was 
five  o'clock,  and  Hetty  was  not  in  sight,  he 


196         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

thought,  as  she  had  hoped  he  would,  that  she 
was  searching  for  the  shawl  ;  but,  when  six 
o'clock  came,  and  her  boat  was  not  in  sight, 
his  childish  heart  took  alarm.  He  ran  to  the 
shanty  where  the  old  boatman  lived ;  and 
pounded  furiously  on  the  door,  shouting  loud, 
for  the  man  was  very  deaf.  The  door  was 
locked  ;  no  one  answered.  Raby  pushed  logs 
under  the  windows,  and,  climbing  up,  looked 
in.  The  house  was  empty.  Then  the  little 
fellow  jumped  into  the  only  boat  which  was 
there,  and  began  to  row  out  into  the  lake  in 
search  of  Hetty. 

Alas  !  the  boat  leaked  so  fast  that  it  was  with 
difficulty  he  got  back  to  the  shore.  Perhaps, 
if  Hetty,  from  her  hiding-place,  had  seen  the 
dear,  brave  child  rowing  to  her  rescue,  it  might 
have  been  a  rescue  indeed.  It  might  have 
changed  for  ever  the  current  of  her  life.  But 
this  was  not  to  be.  Wet  and  chilled,  and 
clogged  by  his  dripping  shoes,  Raby  turned 
towards  home.  The  woods  were  dark  and  full 
of  shadows.  The  child  had  never  been  alone 
in  them  at  night  before ;  and  the  gloom  added 
to  his  terrors.  His  feet  seemed  as  if  they 
would  fail  him  at  every  step,  and  his  sobbing 
cries  left  him  little  breath  with  which  to  run. 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         197 

Jim  and  Sally  turned  helplessly  to  the  stran 
ger,  as  he  concluded  his  story. 

"  Oh,  what  shall  we  do  !  what  shall  we  do  ! " 
they  said.  "  Oh,  take  us  right  back  to  the  lake, 
won't  you  ?  and  the  rest  will  follow :  we  may 
find  her." 

"  There  isn't  any  boat,"  cried  Raby,  from  the 
floor.  "  I  tried  to  go  for  her,  and  the  boat  is  all 
full  of  holes,  and  she  must  have  been  drowned 
ever  so  long  by  this  time ;  she  told  me  it  only 
took  half  an  hour,  that  nobody  could  be  brought 
to  life  after  that,"  and  Raby's  cries  rose  almost 
to  shrieks,  and  brought  old  Caesar  and  Nan  from 
the  kitchen.  As  the  first  words  of  what  had 
happened  reached  their  ears,  they  broke  into 
piercing  lamentations.  Nan,  with  inarticulate 
groans,  and  Caesar  with,  "  Damn  !  damn !  bress 
de  Lord  !  No,  damn !  damn  !  dat  lake.  Haven't 
I  always  told  Miss  Hetty  not  to  be  goin'  there. 
Oh,  damn !  damn !  no,  no,  bress  de  Lord ! " 
and  the  old  man,  clasping  both  hands  above  his 
head,  rushed  to  the  barn  to  put  the  horses  into 
the  big  farm-wagon.  With  anguished  hearts,  and 
hopelessly,  Jim  and  Sally  piled  blankets  and  pil 
lows  into  the  wagon,  and  took  all  the  restoratives 
they  could  think  of.  They  knew  in  their  hearts 
all  would  be  of  no  use.  As  they  drove  through 


198         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY, 

the  village  they  gave  the  alarm  ;  and,  in  an  in 
credibly  short  time,  the  whole  shore  of  the  lake 
was  twinkling  with  lights  borne  high  in  the 
hands  of  men  who  were  searching.  Two  boats 
were  rowing  back  and  forth  on  the  lake,  with 
bright  lights  at  stern  and  prow  ;  and  loud  shouts 
filled  the  air.  No  answer;  no  clew:  at  last, 
from  the  island,  came  a  pistol. shot,  —  the  signal 
agreed  on.  Every  man  stood  still  and  listened. 
Slowly  the  boats  came  back  to  shore,  drawing 
behind  them  Hetty's  boat ;  bringing  one  of  the 
oars,  and  also  Hetty's  shawl,  which  they  had 
found,  just  where  Raby  had  told  them  they  would, 
in  the  wild-grape  thicket. 

"  Found  it  bottom-side  up,"  was  all  that  the 
men  said,  as  they  shoved  the  boat  high  up  on  the 
sand.  Then  they  all  looked  in  each  other's 
faces,  and  said  no  more.  There  was  nothing 
more  to  be  done  :  it  was  now  ten  o'clock.  Slowly 
,  the  sad  procession  wound  back  to  town  through 
the  rayless  hemlock  woods.  Midway  in  them, 
they  met  a  rider,  riding  at  the  maddest  gallop. 
It  was  the  doctor  !  No  one  had  known  where 
to  send  for  him ;  and  there  was  no  time  to 
be  lost.  Coming  home,  and  wondering,  as  he 
entered,  at  the  open  doors  and  the  unlighted 
windows,  he  had  found  Norah  sitting  on  the 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         199 

floor  by  the  weeping  Raby,  and  trying  to  comfort 
him.  Barely  comprehending,  in  his  sudden  dis 
tress  what  they  told  him,  the  doctor  had  sprung 
upon  his  horse  and  galloped  towards  the  lake. 
As  he  saw  the  group  of  people  moving  towards 
him,  looking  shadowy  and  dim  in  the  darkness, 
his  heart  stood  still.  Were  they  bearing  home 
Hetty's  body  ?  Would  he  see  it  presently,  lying 
lifeless  and  cold  in  their  arms  ?  He  dashed 
among  them,  reining  his  horse  back  on  his 
haunches,  and  looking  with  a  silent  anguish  into 
face  after  face.  Nobody  spoke.  That  first  in 
stant  seemed  a  century  long.  Nobody  could 
speak.  At  a  glance  the  doctor  saw  that  they 
were  not  bearing  the  sad  burden  he  had  feared. 

"  Not  found  her  ? "  he  gasped. 

"  No,  doctor,"  replied  one  nearest  him,  laying 
his  hand  on  his  arm. 

"  Then  by  God  what  have  you  come  away  for ! 
have  you  got  the  souls  of  men  in  you  ? "  ex 
claimed  Eben  Williams,  in  a  voice  which  seemed 
to  shake  the  very  trees,  as  he  plunged  onward. 

"  It 's    no    use,   doctor,"   they   replied   sadly. 

"  We  found  her  boat  bottom  up,  and  one  of  the 
oars  ;  and  it  was  hours  since  it  capsized." 

"  What  then  ! "  he  shouted  back.  "  My  wife 
was  as  strong  as  any  man :  she  can't  have 


200        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

drowned ;  Hetty  can't  have  drowned  ; "  and  his 
horse's  hoofs  struck  sparks  from  the  stones  as 
he  galloped  on.  A  few  of  the  younger  men 
turned  back  and  followed  him ;  but,  when  they 
reached  the  lake,  he  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 
Old  Caesar,  who  was  sitting  on  the  ground,  his 
head  buried  on  his  knees,  said  : 

"He  wouldn't  hear  a  word.  He  jest  jumped 
into  one  of  thim  boats,  and  he  was  gone  like 
lightning :  he 's  'way  across  the  lake  by  this 
time." 

Silently  the  young  men  re-entered  their  boats 
and  rowed  out,  carrying  torches.  Presently  they 
overtook  the  doctor. 

"  Oh,  thank  God  for  that  light !  "  he  exclaimed, 
"  Give  one  to  me ;  let  me  have  it  here  in  my 
boat:  I  shall  find  her." 

Like  a  being  of  superhuman  strength,  the 
doctor  rowed  ;  no  one  could  keep  up  with  him. 
Round  and  round  the  lake,  into  every  inlet,  close 
under  the  shadows  of  the  islands  ;  again  and 
again,  over  every  mile  of  that  treacherous,  glassy, 
beautiful  water,  he  rowed,  calling  every  few  mo 
ments,  in  heart-breaking  tones,  "  Hetty !  Hetty  ! 
Hetty !  I  am  here,  Hetty  !  " 

As  the  hours  wore  on,  his  strength  began  to 
flag  ;  he  rowed  more  and  more  slowly  :  but,  when 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         2OI 

they  begged  him  to  give  over  the  search,  and 
return  home,  he  replied  impatiently.  "  Never ! 
I  '11  never  leave  this  lake  till  I  find  her."  It  was 
useless  to  reason  with  him.  He  hardly  heard 
the  words.  At  last,  his  friends,  worn  out  by  the 
long  strain,  rowed  to  the  shore,  and  left  him 
alone.  As  he  bade  them  good-by,  he  groaned, 
"  Oh,  God  !  will  it  never  be  morning  ?  If  only  it 
were  light,  I  am  sure  I  should  find  some  trace  of 
her."  But,  when  the  morning  broke,  the  pitiless 
lake  shone  clear  and  still,  and  all  the  hopeless 
ness  of  his  search  flashed  on  the  bereaved  man's 
mind :  he  dropped  his  oars,  and  gazed  vacantly 
over  the  rippleless  surface.  Then  he  buried  his 
face  in  his  hands,  and  sat  motionless  for  a  long 
time :  he  was  trying  to  recall  Hetty's  last  looks, 
last  words.  He  recollected  her  last  kisses.  "  It 
was  as  if  they  were  to  bid  me  good-bye,"  he 
thought.  Presently,  he  took  up  the  oars  and 
rowed  back  to  the  shore.  Old  Caesar  still  sat 
there  on  the  ground.  The  doctor  touched  him  on 
the  shoulder.  He  lifted  a  face  so  wan,  so  altered, 
that  the  doctor  started. 

"  My  poor  old  fellow,"  he  said,  "  you  ought 
not  to  have  sat  here  all  night.  We  will  go  home 
now.  There  is  nothing  more  to  be  done." 

"  Oh,  yer  ain't  a  goin'  to  give  up,  doctor,  be 


202         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY, 

yer  ?  "  cried  Caesar.  "  Oh,  don't  never  give  up. 
She  must  be  here  somewheres.  Bodies  floats 
allers  in  fresh  water :  she  '11  come  to  shore  be 
fore  long.  Oh,  don't  give  up  !  I  '11  set  here 
an'  watch,  an'  you  go  home  an'  git  somethin'  to 
eat.  You  looks  dreadful." 

"  No,  no,  Caesar,"  the  doctor  replied,  with  the 
first  tears  he  had  felt  yet  welling  up  in  his  eyes, 
"you  must  come  home  with  me.  There  is  no 
hope  of  finding  her." 

Caesar  did  not  move,  but  fixed  a  sullen  gaze 
on  the  water.  The  doctor  spoke  again,  more 
firmly  : 

"You  must  come,  Caesar.  Your  mistress 
would  tell  you  so  herself."  At  this  Caesar  rose, 
docile,  and  the  two  went  home  in  silence  through 
the  hemlock  woods. 

For  three  days  the  search  for  Hetty  continued. 
It  was  suggested  that  possibly  she  might  have 
gone  over  to  the  Springton  shore  for  some  pur 
pose,  and  there  have  met  with  some  accident 
or  assault.  This  suggestion  opened  up  new 
vistas  of  conjecture,  almost  more  terrible  than 
the  certainty  of  her  death  would  have  been. 
Parties  of  three  and  four  scoured  the  woods 
in  all  directions.  Again  and  again  Dr.  Eben 
passed  over  the  spot  where  she  had  lain  crouched 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.        203 

so  long :  the  bushes  which  had  been  brushed 
back  as  she  passed,  bent  back  again  to  let  him 
go  over  her  very  footsteps  ;  but  nothing  could 
speak  to  betray  her  secret.  Nature  seems 
most  mute  whea  we  most  need  her  help :  she 
keeps,  through  all  our  distresses,  a  sort  of  dumb 
and  faithful  neutrality,  which  is  not,  perhaps,  so 
devoid  of  sympathy  as  it  appears. 

After  the  third  day  was  over,  it  was  accepted 
by  tacit  consent  that  farther  search  would  be 
useless.  Hetty  was  mourned  as  dead :  in  every 
home  her  name  was  tenderly  and  sorrowingly 
spoken  ;  old  memories  of  her  gay  and  mirth 
ful  youth,  of  her  cheery  and  busy  womanhood, 
were  revived  and  dwelt  upon.  But  in  her  own 
home  was  silence  that  could  be  felt.  The 
grief  there  was  grief  that  could  not  speak. 
Only  little  Raby,  of  all  the  household,  found 
words  to  use  ;  and  his  childish  and  inconsolable 
laments  made  the  speechless  anguish  around  him 
all  the  greater.  To  Dr.  Eben,  the  very  sight 
of  the  child  was  a  bitter  and  unreasonable  pain. 
Except  for  Raby,  he  thought,  Hetty  would  still 
be  alive.  He  had  never  approved  of  her  taking 
him  on  the  water  ;  had  remonstrated  with  her  in 
the  beginning,  but  had  been  overruled  by  her 
impetuous  confidence  in  her  own  strength  and 


204        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

skill.  Now,  as  often  as  he  saw  the  poor  little 
fellow's  woe-begone  face,  he  had  a  strange  mix 
ture  of  pity  and  hatred  towards  him.  In  vain 
he  reasoned  against  it.  "  He  has  lost  his  best 
friend,  as  well  as  I,"  he  said  to  himself ;  "  I  ought 
to  try  to  comfort  him."  But  it  was  impossible  : 
the  child's  presence  grew  more  and  more  irk 
some  to  him,  until,  at  last,  he  said  to  Sally,  one 
day  : 

"  Sally,  you  and  Raby  are  both  looking  very 
ill.  I  want  you  to  go  away  for  a  time.  How 
would  you  like  to  go  to  '  The  Runs,'  for  a  month  ? " 

"  Oh,  not  there,  dear  doctor  !  please  do  not 
send  us  there  !  "  cried  Sally.  "  Indeed  I  could 
not  bear  it.  We  might  go  to  father's  for  a  while. 
That  would  be  change  enough  ;  and  Raby  would 
have  children  to  play  with  there,  in  the  village, 
all  the  time,  and  that  would  be  the  best  thing  for 
him." 

So  Jim  and  Sally  went  to  Deacon  Little's  to 
stay  for  a  time.  Mrs.  Little  welcomed  them 
with  a  cordiality  which  it  would  have  done 
Hetty's  heart  good  to  see.  Her  old  aversion  to 
Sally  had  been  so  thoroughly  conquered  that  she 
was  more  than  half  persuaded  in  her  own  mind 
it  had  never  existed.  When  the  doctor  was  left 
alone  in  the  house,  he  found  it  easier  to  bear  the 


1IKTTVS  STRANGE  HISTORY.         205 

burden  of  his  grief.  It  is  only  after  the  first 
shock  of  a  great  sorrow  is  past  that  we  are 
helped  by  faces  and  voices  and  the  clasping  of 
hands.  At  the  first,  there  is  but  one  help,  but 
one  healing-;  and  that  is  solitude. 

Dr.  Eben  came  out  from  this  grief  an  altered 
man.  Poor  Hetty  !  How  little  she  had  under 
stood  her  value  to  her  husband  !  Could  she 
have  seen  him  walking  slowly  from  house  to 
house,  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground,  his  head 
bent  forward  ;  all  his  old  elasticity  of  tread  gone  ; 
his  ready  smile  gone  ;  the  light,  glad  look  of  his 
eyes  gone,  —  how  would  she  have  repented  her 
rash  and  cruel  deed  !  how  would  the  scales  have 
fallen  from  her  eyes,  revealing  to  her  the  mon 
strous  misapprehension  to  which  she  had  sacri 
ficed  her  life  and  his  !  Even  long  after  people 
had  ceased  to  talk  about  Hetty's  death,  or  to 
remember  it  unless  they  saw  the  doctor,  the 
first  sight  of  his  tall  bowed  figure  recalled  it  all  ; 
and  again  and  again,  as  he  passed  men  on  the 
street,  they  turned  and  said  to  each  other,  with 
a  sad  shake  of  the  head  : 

"  He 's  never  got  over  it." 

"  No,  nor  ever  will." 

On  the  surface,  life  seemed  to  be  going  on  at 
"  Gunn's  "  much  as  before.  Jim  and  Sajly  and 


206         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

Raby  made  a  family  centre,  to  which  the  lonely 
doctor  attached  himself  more  and  more.  He 
came  more  and  more  to  feel  that  Raby  was  a 
legacy  left  by  Hetty  to  him.  He  had  ceased  to 
have  any  unjust  resentment  towards  the  child 
from  his  innocent  association  with  her  death  : 
he  knew  that  she  had  loved  the  boy  as  if  he 
were  her  own  ;  and,  in  his  long  sad  reveries 
about  the  future,  he  found  a  sort  of  melancholy 
pleasure  in  planning  for  Raby  as  he  would 
have  done  had  he  been  Hetty's  child.  These 
plans  for  Raby,  and  his  own  devotion  to  his 
profession,  were  Dr.  Eben's  only  pleasure.  He 
was  fast  becoming  a  physician  of  note.  He 
was  frequently  sent  for  in  consultation  to  all  parts 
of  the  county ;  and  his  contributions  to  medi 
cal  journals  were  held  in  high  esteem.  The 
physician,  the  student,  had  gained  unspeak 
ably  by  the  loss  which  had  so  nearly  crushed 
the  man. 

Development  and  strength,  gained  at  such 
cost,  are  like  harvests  springing  out  of  land 
which  had  to  be  burned  black  with  fire  before  it 
would  yield  its  increase. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.        2O/ 


XIII. 

TTETTY  first  entered  the  village  of  St.  Mary's 
at  sunset.  The  chapel  bell  was  ringing  for 
the  Angelas,  and  as  the  nondescipt  little  vehicle, 
half  diligence  half  coach,  crept  through  the  sandy 
streets,  Hetty,  looking  eagerly  out,  saw  men, 
women,  and  children  falling  on  their  knees 
by  the  road-side.  She  recollected  having  noted 
this  custom  when  she  was  in  St.  Mary's  before : 
then  it  had  seemed  to  her  senseless  mummery ; 
now  it  seemed  beautiful.  Hetty  had  just  come 
through  dark  places,  in  which  she  had  wanted 
help  from  God  more  than  she  had  ever  in  her 
life  wanted  it ;  and  these  evident  signs  of  faith, 
of  an  established  relation  between  earth  and 
heaven,  fell  most  gratefully  upon  her  aching 
heart.  The  village  of  St.  Mary's  is  a  mere  hand 
ful  of  houses,  on  a  narrow  stretch  of  sandy  plain, 
lying  between  two  forests  of  firs.  Many  years 
ago,  hunters,  finding  in  the  depths  of  these  forests 
springs  of  great  medicinal  value,  made  a  little 


208         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

clearing  about  them,  and  built  there  a  few  rough 
shanties  to  which  they  might  at  any  time  resort 
for  the  waters.  Gradually,  the  fame  of  the 
waters  was  noised  abroad,  and  drew  settlers  to 
the  spot.  The  clearing  was  widened;  houses 
were  built ;  a  village  grew  up  ;  line  after  line,  as 
a  new  street  was  needed,  the  forests  were  cut 
down,  but  remained  still  a  solid,  dark-green  wall 
and  background  to  the  east  and  the  west.  On  the 
outskirts  of  the  village,  in  the  edge  of  the  west 
ern  forest,  stood  the  Roman  Catholic  chapel,  —  a 
low  wooden  building,  painted  red,  and  having  a 
huge  silver  cross  on  the  top. 

At  the  moment  of  Hetty's  arrival,  a  burial  ser 
vice  was  just  about  to  take  place  in  this  little 
chapel,  and  the  procession  was  slowly  approach 
ing  :  the  priest  walking  in  front,  lifting  up  a 
high  gilt  crucifix ;  a  little  white-robed  acolyte 
carrying  holy  water  in  a  silver  basin  ;  a  few  Sis 
ters  of  Charity  with  their  long  black  gowns  and 
flapping  white  bonnets  ;  behind  these  the  weep 
ing  villagers,  bearing  the  coffin  on  a  rude  sort  of 
litter.  As  Hetty  saw  this  procession,  she  was 
seized  with  an  irresistible  desire  to  join  it.  She 
was  the  only  passenger  in  the  diligence,  and  the 
door  was  locked.  She  called  to  the  driver,  and 
at  last  succeeded  in  making  him  hear,  and  also 


HKTTY'S  STRAXC,!-:   HISTORY.         209 

understand  that  she  wished  to  be  set  down  im 
mediately  :  she  would  walk  on  to  the  inn.  She 
wished  first  to  go  into  the  church.  The  driver  was 
a  good  Catholic  ;  very  seriously  he  said  :  "  It  is 
bad  luck  to  say  one's  prayers  while  there  is  going 
on  the  mass  for  the  dead  ;  there  is  another  chapel 
which  Madame  would  find  less  sad  at  this  hour. 
It  is  only  a  short  distance  farther  on." 

But  Hetty  reiterated  her  request ;  and  the 
driver,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  and  saying  in  an 
altered  tone  : 

"As  Madame  pleases  ;  it  is  all  the  same  to 
me :  nevertheless,  it  is  bad  luck ; "  assisted  her 
to  alight. 

The  procession  had  just  entered  the  church. 
Dim  lights  twinkled  on  the  altar,  and  a  smell  of 
incense  filled  the  place.  Hetty  fell  on  her  knees 
with  the  rest,  and  prayed  for  those  she  had  left 
behind  her.  Her  prayer  was  simple  and  short, 
repeated  many  times :  "  Oh  God,  make  them 
happy  !  make  them  happy  !  "  When  the  mass 
was  over,  Hetty  waited  near  the  door,  and 
watched  anxiously  to  see  if  the  priest  were  the 
same  whom  her  father  had  known  so  well  twenty 
years  before.  Yes,  it  was  —  no  —  could  this  be 
Father  Antoine  ?  This  fat,  red-faced,  jovial- 
looking  old  man  ?  Father  Antoine  had  been 
'4 


210         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

young,  slender  and  fair  ;  but  there  was  no  mis 
taking  the  calm  and  serious  hazel  eyes.  It  was 
Father  Antoine,  but  how  changed  ! 

"If  I  have  changed  as  much  as  that,"  thought 
Hetty,  "  he  '11  never  believe  I  am  I ;  and  I  dare 
say  I  have.  Dear  me,  what  a  frightful  thing  is 
this  old  age  ! " 

Hetty  had  resolved,  in  the  outset,  that  she 
would  take  Father  Antoine  into  her  confidence. 
She  knew  the  sacredness  of  secrecy  in  which 
Roman  Catholic  priests  are  accustomed  to  hold 
all  confessions  made  to  them.  She  felt  that  her 
secret  would  be  too  heavy  to  bear  unshared, 
and  that  times  might  arise  when  she  would 
need  advice  or  help  from  one  knowing  all  the 
truth. 

Early  the  next  morning,  she  went  to  Father 
Antoine's  house.  The  good  old  man  was  at 
work  in  his  garden.  His  little  cottage  was  sur 
rounded  by  beds  which  were  gay  with  flowers 
from  June  till  November.  Nothing  was  left  in 
bloom  now,  except  asters  and  chrysanthemums  : 
but  there  was  no  flower,  not  even  his  July  carna 
tions,  in  which  he  took  such  pride,  as  in  his 
chrysanthemums.  As  he  heard  the  little  gate 
shut,  he  looked  up ;  saw  that  it  was  a  stranger ; 
and  came  forward  to  meet  her,  bearing  in  his 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         211 

hand  one  great  wine-colored  chrysanthemum 
blossom,  as  large  as  a  blush  rose : 

"  Is  it  to  see  me,  daughter  ? "  he  said,  with  his 
inalienable  old  French  courtesy.  Father  Antoine 
had  come  of  a  race  which  had  noble  blood  in 
its  veins.  His  ancestry  had  worn  swords,  and 
lived  at  courts,  and  Antoine  Ladeau  never  once, 
in  his  half  century  of  work  in  these  Canadian 
forests,  forgot  that  fact.  Hetty  looked  him  full 
in  the  face,  and  colored  scarlet,  before  she  began 
to  speak. 

"  You  do  not  remember  me,"  she  said. 

Father  Antoine  shook  his  head.  "  It  is  that 
I  see  so  many  faces  each  year,"  he  replied  apolo 
getically,  "  that  it  is  not  possible  to  remember  ; " 
and  he  gazed  earnestly  into  Hetty's  expressive 
face. 

"  It  is  twenty  years  since  I  was  here,"  Hetty 
continued.  She  felt  a  great  longing  that  Father 
Antoine  should  recollect  her.  It  would  seem  to 
make  her  task  easier. 

A  reminiscence  dawned  on  the  priest's  mind. 
"  Twenty  years  ? "  he  said,  "  ah,  but  that  is  long ! 
we  were  both  young  then.  Is  it  —  ah,  is  it  pos 
sible  that  it  is  the  daughter  with  the  father  that 
I  see"? "  Father  Antoine  had  never  forgotten 
the  beautiful  relation  between  Hetty  and  her 
father. 


212         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  Yes,  I  came  with  my  father :  you  knew  him 
very  well,"  replied  Hetty,  "  and  I  always  thought 
then  that,  if  I  had  any  trouble,  I  would  like  to 
have  you  help  me." 

Father  Antoine's  merry  face  clouded  over  in 
stantly.  "  And  have  you  trouble,  my  daughter  ? 
If  the  good  God  permits  that  I  help  you,  I  shall 
be  glad.  I  had  a  love  for  your  father.  He  is 
no  longer  alive,  or  you  would  not  be  in  trouble ;  " 
and,  leading  Hetty  into  his  little  study,  Father 
Antoine  sat  down  opposite  her,  and  said : 

"Tell  me,  my  daughter." 

Hetty's  voice  trembled,  and  tears  filled  her 
eyes :  sympathy  was  harder  to  bear  than  loneli 
ness.  The  story  was  hard  to  tell,  but  she  told 
it,  without  pause,  without  reserve.  Father 
Antoine's  face  grew  stern  as  she  proceeded. 
When  she  ceased  speaking,  he  said : 

"  My  daughter,  you  have  sinned  ;  sinned  griev 
ously  :  you  must  return  to  your  husband.  You 
have  violated  a  holy  sacrament  of  the  Church.  I 
command  you  to  return  to  your  husband." 

Hetty  stared  at  him  in  undisguised  wonder. 
At  last  she  said : 

"  Why  do  you  speak  to  me  like  that,  sir  ?  I 
can  obey  no  man :  only  my  own  conscience  is 
my  law.  I  will  never  return  to  my  husband." 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         213 

"  The  Church  is  the  conscience  of  all  her  err 
ing  children,"  replied  Father  Antoine,  "  and  dis 
obedience  is  at  the  peril  of  one's  soul.  I  lay  it 
upon  you,  as  the  command  of  the  Church,  that 
you  return,  my  daughter.  You  have  sinned  most 
grievously." 

"  Oh,"  said  Hetty,  with  apparent  irrelevance. 
"  I  understand  now.  You  took  me  for  a  Catholic." 

It  was  Father  Antoine's  turn  to  stare. 

"  Why  then,  if  you  are  not,  came  you  to  me  ? " 
he  said  sternly.  "  I  am  here  only  as  priest." 

Hetty  clasped  her  hands,  and  said  pleadingly  : 

"  Oh  no !  not  only  as  priest :  you  are  a  good 
man.  My  father  always  said  so.  We  were  not 
Catholics ;  and  I  could  not  be  of  any  other  re 
ligion  than  my  father's,  now  he  is  dead,"  (here 
Hetty  unconsciously  touched  a  chord  in  Antoine 
Ladeau's  breast,  which  gave  quick  response) : 
"  but  I  recollected  how  he  trusted  you,  and  I  said, 
if  I  can  hide  myself  in  that  little  village,  Father 
Antoine  will  be  good  to  me  for  my  father's  sake. 
But  you  must  not  tell  me  to  go  back  to  my  home : 
no  one  can  judge  about  that  but  me.  The  thing 
I  have  done  is  best :  I  shall  not  go  back.  And, 
if  you  will  not  keep  my  secret  and  be  my  friend, 
I  will  go  away  at  once  and  hide  myself  in  some 
other  place  still  farther  away,  and  will  ask  no 
one  again  to  be  my  friend,  ever  till  I  die ! " 


214         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

Father  Antoine  was  perplexed.  All  the  blood 
of  ancient  knighthood  which  was  in  his  veins 
was  stirred  with  chivalrous  desire  to  help  Hetty  : 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  both  as  man  and  as  priest, 
he  felt  that  she  had  committed  a  great  wrong, 
and  that  he  could  not  even  appear  to  countenance 
it.  He  studied  Hetty's  face :  in  spite  of  its 
evident  marks  of  pain,  it  was  as  indomitable  as 
rock. 

"  You  have  the  old  Huguenot  soul,  my  daugh 
ter,"  he  said.  "Antoine  Ladeau  knows  better 
than  to  try  to  cause  you  to  swerve  from  the  path 
you  have  chosen.  But  the  good  God  can  give 
you  light :  it  may  be  that  he  has  directed  you 
here  to  find  it  in  his  true  Church.  Be  sure  that 
your  father  was  a  good  Catholic  at  heart." 

"  Oh,  no !  he  wasn't,"  exclaimed  Hetty,  im 
petuously.  "  There  was  nothing  he  disliked  so 
much  as  a  Catholic.  He  always  said  you  were 
the  only  Catholic  he  ever  saw  that  he  could 
trust." 

Father  Antoine's  rosy  face  turned  rosier.  He 
was  not  used  among  his  docile  Canadians  to  any 
such  speech  as  this.  The  unvarnished  fashions 
of  New  England  honesty  grated  on  his  ear. 

"  It  is  not  well  for  men  of  one  religion  to  rail 
at  the  men  of  another,"  he  said  gravely.  "  I 


HETTY  ^S  STRANGE  HISTORY,         215 

doubt  not,  there  are  those  whom  the  Lord 
loves  in  all  religions ;  but  there  is  but  one 
true  Church." 

"Forgive  me,"  said  Hetty,  in  a  meeker  tone. 
"  I  did  not  mean  to  be  rude  :  but  I  thought  I 
ought  not  to  let  you  have  such  a  mistaken  idea 
about  father.  Oh,  please,  be  my  friend,  Father 
Antoine  ! " 

Father  Antoine  was  silent  for  a  time.  Never 
had  he  been  so  sorely  perplexed.  The  priest  and 
the  man  were  arrayed  against  each  other. 

Presently  he  said  : 

"  What  is  it  that  you  would  have  me  do,  my 
daughter  ?  I  do  not  see  that  there  is  any  thing  ; 
since  you  have  so  firm  a  will  and  acknowledge 
not  the  Church." 

"  Oh  ! "  said  Hetty,  perceiving  that  he  re 
lented,  "  there  is  not  any  thing  that  I  want 
you  to  do,  exactly.  I  only  want  to  feel  that 
there  is  one  person  who  knows  all  about  me, 
and  will  keep  my  secret,  and  is  willing  to  be 
my  friend.  I  shall  not  want  any  help  about 
any  thing,  unless  it  is  to  get  work ;  but  I  sup 
pose  they  always  want  nurses  here.  There 
will  be  plenty  to  do." 

"  Daughter,  I  will  keep  your  secret,"  said 
Father  Antoine,  solemnly :  "  about  that  you 


2l6         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

need  have  had  no  fear.  No  man  of  my  race 
has  ever  betrayed  a  trust ;  and  I  will  be  your 
friend,  if  you  need  aught  that  I  can  do,  while 
you  choose  to  live  in  this  place.  But  I  shall 
pray  daily  to  the  good  God  to  open  your  eyes, 
and  make  you  see  that  you  are  living  in  heinous 
sin  each  day  that  you  live  away  from  your  hus 
band  ; "  and  Father  Antoine  rose  with  the 
involuntary  habit  of  the  priest  of  dismissing  a 
parishioner  when  there  was  no  more  needful  to 
be  said.  Hetty  took  her  leave  with  a  feeling 
of  meek  gratitude,  hitherto  unknown  in  her 
bosom.  Spite  of  Father  Antoine's  disapproval, 
spite  of  his  arbitrary  Romanism,  she  trusted 
and  liked  him. 

"  It  is  no  matter  if  he  does  think  me  wrong," 
she  said  to  herself.  "  That  needn't  disturb  me 
if  I  know  I  am  right.  I  think  he  is  wrong  to 
pray  to  the  Virgin  and  the  saints." 

Hetty  had  brought  with  her  a  sum  of  money 
more  than  sufficient  to  buy  a  little  cottage,  and 
fit  it  up  with  all  needful  comforts.  She  had  no 
sentimental  dispositions  towards  deprivation  and 
wretchedness.  All  her  plannings  looked  toward 
a  useful,  cheery,  comfortable  life.  Among  her 
purchases  were  gardening  utensils,  which  she 
could  use  herself,  and  seeds  and  shrubs  suited 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         217 

to  the  soil  of  St.  Mary's.  Strangely  enough,  the 
only  cottage  which  she  could  find  at  all  adapted 
to  her  purpose  was  one  very  near  Father  An- 
toine's,  and  almost  precisely  like  it.  It  stood  in 
the  edge  of  the  forest,  and  had  still  left  in  its 
enclosure  many  of  the  stumps  of  recently  felted 
trees.  All  Hetty's  farmer's  instincts  revived  in 
full  force  ;  and,  only  a  few  days  after  Father 
Antoine's  conversation  with  her,  he  found  her 
one  morning  superintending  the  uprooting  of 
these  stumps,  and  making  preparations  for  grad 
ing  the  land.  As  he  watched  her  active  move 
ments,  energetic  tones,  and  fresh  open  face,  he  fell 
into  a  maze  of  wondering  thought.  This  was  no 
morbid  sentimentalist ;  no  pining,  heart-broken 
woman.  Except  that  truthfulness  was  stamped  on 
every  lineament  of  Hetty's  countenance,  Father 
Antoine  would  have  doubted  her  story ;  and,  ex 
cept  that  her  every  act  showed  such  vigorous  com 
mon  sense,  he  would  have  doubted  her  sanity. 
As  it  was,  his  perplexity  deepened  ;  so  also  did 
his  interest  in  her.  It  was  impossible  not  to 
admire  this  brisk,  kindly,  outspoken  woman,  who 
already  moved  about  in  the  village  with  a  certain 
air  of  motherly  interest  in  every  thing  and  every 
body  ;  had  already  begun  to  "  help  "  in  her  own 
sturdy  fashion,  and  had  already  won  the  good 
will  of  old  and  young. 


2l8         HETTY1  S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  The  good  God  will  surely  open  her  eyes  in 
his  own  time,"  thought  Father  Antoine,  and  in 
his  heart  he  pondered  much  what  a  good  thing 
it  would  be,  if,  when  that  time  came,  Hetty  could 
be  persuaded  to  become  the  Lady  Superior  of  the 
Convent  of  the  Bleeding  Heart,  only  a  few  miles 
from  St.  Mary's.  "  She  is  born  for  an  abbess," 
he  said  to  himself :  "  her  will  is  like  the  will  of  a 
man,  but  she  is  full  of  succor  and  tender  offices. 
She  would  be  a  second  Angelique,  in  her  fervor 
and  zeal."  And  the  good  old  priest  said  rosaries 
full  of  prayers  for  Hetty,  night  and  day. 

There  were  two  "  Houses  of  Cure "  in  St. 
Mary's,  both  under  the  care  of  skilful  physicians, 
who  made  specialties  of  treatment  with  the  waters 
of  the  springs.  One  of  these  physicians  was  a 
Roman  Catholic,  and  employed  no  nurses  except 
the  Sisters  from  the  Convent  of  the  Bleeding 
Heart.  They  came  in  turn,  in  bands  of  six  or 
eight  ;  and  stayed  three  months  at  a  time.  In 
the  other  House,  under  the  care  of  an  English 
physician,  nurses  were  hired  without  reference 
to  their  religion.  As  soon  as  Hetty's  house  was 
all  in  order,  and  her  shrubs  and  trees  set  out,  she 
went  one  morning  to  this  House,  and  asked  to 
see  the  physician  in  charge.  With  character 
istic  brevity,  she  stated  that  she  had  come  to  St. 


HETTY 'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         219 

Mary's  to  earn  her  living  as  a  nurse,  and  would 
like  to  secure  a  situation.  The  doctor  looked  at 
her  scrutinizingly. 

"  Have  you  ever  nursed  ? " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  What  do  you  know  about  it  then  ?  " 

"  I  have  seen  a  great  many  sick  people." 

"  How  was  that  ? " 

Hetty  hesitated,  but  with  some  confusion  re 
plied  : 

"  My  husband  was  a  doctor,  and  I  often  went 
with  him  to  see  his  patients." 

"  You  are  a  widow  then  ? " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  What  then  ? "  said  the  physician,  severely. 

Poor  Hetty  !  She  rose  to  her  feet ;  but,  rec 
ollecting  that  she  had  no  right  to  be  indignant, 
sat  down,  and  replied  in  a  trembling  voice : 

"  I  cannot  tell  you,  sir,  any  thing  about  my 
trouble.  I  have  come  here  to  live,  and  I  want 
to  be  a  nurse." 

"  Father  Antoine  knows  me,"  she  added,  with 
dignity. 

Father  Antoine's  name  was  a  passport.  Doc 
tor  Macgowan  had  often  wished  that  he  could 
have  all  his  nurses  from  the  convent. 

"  You  are  a  Catholic,  then  ? "  he  said. 


220         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  No,  indeed  1 "  exclaimed  Hetty,  emphatically. 
"  I  am  nothing  of  the  sort." 

"  How  is  it  that  you  mention  Father  Antoine, 
then  ?  " 

"  He  knew  my  father  well,  and  me  also,  years 
ago  ;  and  he  is  the  only  friend  I  have  here. " 

Dr.  Macgowan  had  an  Englishman's  instinc 
tive  dislike  of  unexplained  things  and  myste 
rious  people.  But  Hetty's  face  and  voice  were 
better  than  pedigrees  and  certificates.  Her  con 
fident  reference  to  Father  Antoine  was  also 
enough  to  allay  any  immediate  uneasiness,  and, 
"  for  the  rest,  time  will  show,"  thought  the  doc 
tor  ;  and,  without  any  farther  delay,  he  engaged 
Hetty  as  one  of  the  day  nurses  in  his  estab 
lishment.  In  after  years  Dr.  Macgowan  often 
looked  back  to  this  morning,  and  thought,  with 
the  sort  of  shudder  with  which  one  looks  back 
on  a  danger  barely  escaped  : 

"  Good  God !  what  if  I  had  let  that  woman 
go  ? " 

All  Hetty's  native  traits  especially  adapted 
her  to  the  profession  of  nursing  ;  and  her  superb 
physical  health  was  of  itself  a  blessing  to  every 
sick  man  or  sick  woman  with  whom  she  came 
in  contact.  Before  she  had  been  in  Dr.  Mac- 
gowarx's  house  one  week,  all  the  patients  had 


HETTY 'S  STXANGE  HISTORY.         221 

learned  to  listen  in  the  morning  for  her  step  and 
her  voice  :  they  all  wanted  her,  and  begged  to 
be  put  under  her  charge. 

"  Really,  Mrs.  Smailli,  I  shall  have  to  cut  you 
up  into  parcels,"  said  the  doctor  one  day :  "  there 
is  not  enough  of  you  to  go  round.  You  have  a 
marvellous  knack  at  making  sick  people  like  you. 
Did  you  really  never  nurse  before  ?  " 

"  Not  with  my  hands  and  feet,"  replied  Hetty, 
"  but  I  think  I  have  always  been  a  nurse  at 
heart.  I  have  always  been  so  well  that  to  be 
sick  seems  to  me  the  most  dreadful  thing  in  the 
world.  I  believe  it  is  the  only  trouble  I  couldn't 
bear." 

"  You  do  not  look  as  if  you  had  ever  had  any 
very  hard  trouble  of  any  kind,"  said  the  doctor 
in  a  light  tone,  but  watching  keenly  the  effect 
of  his  words. 

Dr.  Macgowan  was  beginning  to  be  tor 
mented  by  a  great  desire  to  know  more  in 
regard  to  his  new  nurse.  Father  Antoine's 
guarded  replies  to  all  his  inquiries  about  her 
had  only  stimulated  his  curiosity. 

"  She  is  a  good  woman.  You  may  trust  her 
with  all  your  house,"  Father  Antoine  had  said  ; 
and  had  told  the  doctor  that  he  had  known  both 
her  and  her  father  twenty  years  ago.  More  than 


222         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

this  he  would  not  say,  farther  than  to  express 
the  opinion  that  she  would  live  and  die  in  St. 
Mary's,  and  devote  herself  to  her  work  so  long 
as  she  lived. 

"  She  has  for  it  a  grand  vocation,  as  we  say." 

Father  Antoine  exclaimed,  "  A  grand  voca 
tion  !  Ah  !  if  we  but  had  her  in  our  convent !  " 

"  You  '11  never  get  her  there  as  long  as  I  'm 
alive,  Father  Antoine !  "  Dr.  Macgowan  had  re 
plied.  "  You  may  count  upon  that.  " 

When  Dr.  Macgowan  said  to  Hetty : 

"  You  do  not  look  as  if  you  had  ever  had  any 
very  hard  trouble  of  any  kind,"  Hetty  looked  in 
his  face  eagerly,  and  answered  : 

"  Do  I  not,  really  ?  I  am  so  thankful,  doc 
tor  !  I  have  always  had  such  a  dread  of  looking 
woe-begone,  and  making  everybody  around  me 
uncomfortable.  I  think  that's  a  sin,  if  one  can 
possibly  help  it." 

And  by  no  sudden  surprise  of  remark  or 
question,  could  the  doctor  ever  come  any  nearer 
to  Hetty's  trouble  than  this.  Her  words  always 
glanced  off  from  direct  personal  issues,  as  sub- 
tlely  and  successfully  as  if  she  had  been  a  prac 
tised  diplomatist.  Sometimes  these  perpetual 
evadings  and  non-committals  seemed  to  Dr. 
Macgowan  like  art ;  but  they  were  really  the 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.        223 

very  simplicity  of  absolute  unselfishness  ;  and, 
gradually,  as  he  came  to  perceive  and  under 
stand  this,  he  came  to  have  a  reverence  for 
Hetty.  He  began  to  be  ashamed  of  the  curi 
osity  he  had  felt  as  to  the  details  of  the  sorrow 
which  had  driven  her  to  this  refuge  of  isolation 
and  hard  work.  He  began  to  feel  about  her  as 
Father  Antoine  did,  that  there  was  a  certain 
sacredness  in  her  vocation  which  almost  de 
manded  a  recognition  of  title,  an  investiture  of 
office.  Hetty  would  have  been  astonished,  and 
would  have  very  likely  laughed,  had  she  known 
with  what  a  halo  of  sentiment  her  daily  life  was 
fast  being  surrounded  in  the-  minds  of  people. 
To  her  it  was  simply  a  routine  of  good,  whole 
some  work  ;  of  a  kind  for  which  she  was  best 
fitted,  and  which  enabled  her  to  earn  a  com 
fortable  living  most  easily  to  herself,  and  most 
helpfully  to  others  ;  and  left  her  "  less  time  to 
think,"  as  she  often  said  to  herself,  "  than  any 
thing  else  I  could  possibly  have  done."  "  Time 
to  think  "  was  the  one  thing  Hetty  dreaded.  As 
resolutely  as  if  they  were  a  sin,  she  strove  to 
keep  out  of  her  mind  all  reminiscences  of  her 
home,  all  thoughts  of  her  husband,  of  Raby. 
Whenever  she  gave  way  to  them,  she  was  un 
fitted  for  work  ;  and,  therefore,  her  conscience 


224         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

said  they  were  wrong.  While  she  was  face  to 
face  with  suffering  ones,  and  her  hands  were 
busy  in  ministering  to  their  wants,  such 
thoughts  never  intruded  upon  her.  It  was 
literally  true  that,  in  such  hours,  she  never 
recollected  that  she  was  any  other  than  Hibba 
Smailli,  the  nurse.  But,  when  her  day's  work 
was  done,  and  she  went  home  to  the  little 
lonely  cottage,  memories  flocked  in  at  the  si 
lent  door,  shut  themselves  in  with  her,  and 
refused  to  be  banished.  Hence  she  formed  the 
habit  of  lingering  in  the  street,  of  chatting 
with  the  villagers  on  their  door-steps,  playing 
with  the  children,  and  often,  when  there  was 
illness  in  any  of  the  houses,  going  into  them, 
and  volunteering  her  services  as  nurse. 

The  St.  Mary's  people  were,  almost  without 
exception,  of  French  descent,  and  still  kept  up 
many  of  the  old  French  customs  of  out-door 
fetes  and  ceremonies.  Hetty  found  their  joy 
ous,  child-like  ways  and  manners  singularly 
attractive  and  interesting.  After  the  grim 
composure,  and  substantial,  reflective  methods 
of  her  New  England  life,  the  abandon  and 
unthinkingness  of  these  French-Canadians  were 
bewildering  and  delightful  to  her. 

"  The  whole  town  is  every  night  like  a  Sun- 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY,         22$ 

day-school  picnic  in  our  country,"  she  said 
once  to  Father  Antoine.  "  What  children  all 
these  people  are  !  " 

"  Yes,  daughter,  it  is  so,"  replied  the  priest  ; 
"  and  it  is  well.  Does  not  our  good  Lord  say 
that  we  cannot  enter  into  His  kingdom  except 
we  become  as  little  children  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  replied  Hetty  ;  "  but  I  don't 
believe  this  is  exactly  what  he  meant,  do 
you  ? " 

"A  part  of  what  he  meant,"  answered  the 
priest ;  "  not  all.  First,  docility  ;  and,  second, 
joy  :  that  is  what  the  Church  teaches." 

"  Your  Church  is  better  than  ours  in  that  re 
spect,"  said  Hetty  candidly :  "  ours  doesn't  teach 
joy ;  it  is  pretty  much  all  terror." 

"  Shtmld  a  child  know  terror  of  its  mother  ?" 
asked  Father  Antoine.  "  The  Church  is  mother, 
and  the  Holy  Virgin  is  mother.  Ah,  daughter  ! 
it  will  be  a  glad  day  when  I  see  you  in  the  beau 
tiful  sheltering  arms."  . 

Tears  sometimes  came  to  Hetty's  eyes  at  such 
words  as  these  ;  and  good  Father  Antoine  went 
with  renewed  fervor  to  his  prayers  for  her  con 
version. 

In  the  centre  of  the  village  was  a  square 
laid  out  in  winding  paths,  and  surrounded  by  fir 

15 


226         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

trees.  In  the  middle  of  this  square  was  a  great 
stone  basin,  in  which  a  spring  perpetually  bubbled 
up  ;  the  basin  had  a  broad  brim,  on  which  the 
villagers  sat  when  they  came  of  an  evening  to 
fill  jugs  and  bottles  with  the  water.  On  a  bright 
summer  night,  the  circle  would  often  widen 
and  widen,  by  men  throwing  themselves  on 
the  ground ;  children  toddling  from  knee  to 
knee  ;  groups  standing  in  eager  talk  here  and 
there,  until  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  village 
were  gathered  around  the  spring.  These  were 
the  times  when  all  the  village  affairs  were  dis 
cussed,  and  all  the  village  gossip  retailed  from 
neighbor  to  neighbor.  The  scene  was  as  gay 
and  picturesque  as  you  might  see  in  a  little 
town  of  Brittany  ;  and  the  jargon  of  the  Cana 
dian  patois  much  more  confusing  than  any  dia 
lect  one  would  hear  on  French  soil.  Hetty's 
New  England  tongue  utterly  refused  to  learn 
this  new  mode  of  speech  ;  but  her  quick  and 
retentive  ear  soon  learned  its  meanings  suffi 
ciently  to  follow  the  people  in  their  talk.  She 
often  made  one  of  this  evening  circle  at  the 
spring,  and  it  was  a  pleasant  sight  to  see  the 
quick  stir  of  welcome  with  which  her  approach 
was  observed. 

"  Here  comes  the  good  Aunt  Hibba  from  the 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 


Doctor's  House,"  and  mothers  would  push  chil 
dren  away,  and  gossips  would  crowd,  and  men 
would  stand  up,  all  to  make  room  for  Hetty  : 
then  they  would  gather  about  her,  and  those  who 
could  speak  English  would  translate  for  those 
who  could  not  ;  and  everybody  would  have 
something  to  tell  her.  It  was  an  odd  thing 
that  lovers  sought  her  more  than  any  one  else. 
Many  a  quarrel  Aunt  Hibba's  good  sense  healed 
over  ;  and  many  a  worthless  fellow  was  sent  about 
his  business,  as  he  deserved  to  be,  because  Aunt 
Hibba  took  his  sweetheart  in  hand,  and  made  her 
see  the  rights  of  things.  If  a  traveller,  strolling 
about  St.  Mary's  of  a  June  night,  had  come  upon 
these  chattering  groups,  and  seen  how  they  cen 
tred  around  the  sturdy,  genial-faced  woman,  in  a 
straight  gray  gown  and  a  close  white  cap,  he  would 
have  been  arrested  by  the  picture  at  once  ;  and 
have  wondered  much  who  and  what  Hetty  could 
be  :  but  if  you  had  told  him  that  she  was 
a  farmer's  daughter  from  Northern  New  Eng 
land,  he  wqgld  have  laughed  in  your  face,  and 
said,  "  Nonsense  !  she  belongs  to  some  of  the 
.Orders."  Very  emphatically  would  he  have  said 
this,  if  it  had  chanced  to  be  on  one  of  the  even 
ings  when  Father  Antoine  was  walking  by 
Hetty's  side.  Father  Antoine  knew  her  custom 


228        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

of  lingering  at  the  great  spring,  and  sometimes 
walked  down  there  at  sunset  to  meet  her,  to 
observe  her  talk  with  the  villagers,  and  to  walk 
home  with  her  later.  Nothing  could  be  stronger 
proof  of  the  reverence  in  which  the  whole  vil 
lage  held  Hetty,  than  the  fact  that  it  seemed 
to  them  all  the  most  fitting  and  natural  thing 
that  she  and  Father  Antoine  should  stand  side 
by  side  speaking  to  the  people,  should  walk 
away  side  by  side  in  earnest  conversation  with 
each  other.  If  any  man  had  ventured  upon  a 
jest  or  a  ribald  word  concerning  them,  a  dozen 
quick  hands  would  have  given  him  a  plunge  head 
foremost  into  the  great  stone  basin,  which  was 
the  commonest  expression  of  popular  indignation 
in  St.  Mary's  ;  a  practice  which,  strangely  enough, 
did  not  appear  to  interfere  with  anybody's  relish 
of  the  waters. 

Father  Antoine  had  an  old  servant  woman, 
Marie,  who  had  lived  in  the  Ladeau  family  since 
before  he  was  born.  She  had  been  by  the  death 
bed  of  his  mother,  his  father,  his  g^ndmother, 
and  of  an  uncle  who  had  died  at  some  German 
watering-place  :  wherever  a  Ladeau  was  in  any 
need  of  service,  thither  hasted  Marie ;  and  if  the 
need  were  from  illness,  Marie  was  all  the  happier ; 
to  lie  like  a  hound  on  the  floor  all  night,  and  watch 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         229 

by  a  sick  and  suffering  Ladeau,  was  to  Marie 
joy.  When  the  young  Antoine  had  set  out  for 
the  wildernesses  of  North  America,  Marie  had 
prayed  to  be  allowed  to  come  with  him  ;  and 
when  he  refused  she  had  wept  till  she  fell  ill. 
At  the  last  moment  he  relented,  and  bore  the 
poor  creature  on  board  ship,  wondering  within 
himself  if  he  would  be  able  to  keep  her  alive  in 
the  forests.  But  as  soon  as  there  was  work  to  do 
for  him  she  revived  ;  and  all  these  years  she 
had  kept  his  house,  and  cared  for  him  as  if  he 
were  her  son.  From  the  day  of  Hetty's  first 
arrival,  old  Marie  had  adopted  her  into  her  affec 
tions  :  no  one,  not  born  a  Ladeau,  ever  had  won 
such  liking  from  Marie.  Much  to  Hetty's  em 
barrassment,  whenever  she  met  her,  she  insisted 
on  kissing  her  hand,  after  the  fashion  of  the 
humble  servitors  of  great  houses  in  France. 
Probably,  in  all  these  long  years  of  solitary  ser 
vice  with  Father  Antoine,  Marie  had  pined  for 
the  sight  of  some  one  of  her  own  sex,  to  whom 
she  could  give  allegiance,  for  she  was  fond  of 
telling  long  stories  about  the  beautiful  ladies 
of  the  house  of  Ladeau ;  and  how  she  had 
attired  them  for  balls,  and  had  seen  them  ride 
away  with  cavaliers.  There  was  neither  splen 
dor  nor  beauty  in  Hetty  to  attract  Marie's  fancy  ; 


230        HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

but  Marie  had  a  religious  side  to  her  nature,  al 
most  as  strong  as  the  worldly  and  passionate  one. 
She  saw  in  Hetty's  labors  an  exaltation  of  devo 
tion  which  reminded  her  of  noble  ladies  who 
had  done  penances  and  taken  pilgrimages  in  her 
own  country.  Father  Antoine's  friendship  for 
Hetty,  so  unlike  any  thing  Marie  had  seen  him 
feel  towards  any  woman  he  had  met  in  these 
wilds,  also  stimulated  her  fancy. 

"Ah  !  but  it  is  good  that  he  has  at  last  a 
friend  to  whom  he  may  speak  as  a  Ladeau  should 
speak.  May  the  saints  keep  her  !  she  has  the 
good  heart  of  one  the  Virgin  loves,"  said  Marie, 
and  many  a  candle  did  she  buy  and  keep  burning 
on  the  convent's  shrines  for  Hetty's  protection 
and  conversion. 

One  night  Marie  overheard  Father  Antoine 
say  to  Hetty,  as  he  bade  her  good-night  at  the 
garden  gate  : 

"  My  daughter,  you  look  better  and  younger 
every  day." 

"  Do  I  ?  "  replied  Hetty,  cheerfully :  "  that 's  an 
odd  thing  for  a  woman  so  old  as  I  am.  My 
birthday  is  next  month.  I  shall  be  forty-six." 

"  Youth  is  not  a  matter  of  years,"  replied 
Father  Antoine.  "  I  have  known  very  young 
women  much  older  than  you." 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         231 

Hetty  smiled  sadly,  and  walked  on.  Father 
Antoine's  words  had  given  her  a  pang.  They 
were  almost  the  same  words  which  Dr.  Eben  had 
said  to  her  again  and  again,  when  she  had 
reasoned  with  him  against  his  love  for  her,  a 
woman  so  much  older  than  himself.  "  That  is 
all  very  well  to  say,"  thought  Hetty  in  her  matter- 
of-fact  way,  "  and  no  doubt  there  are  great  dif 
ferences  in  people :  but  old  age  is  old  age,  soften 
it  how  you  will ;  and  youth  is  youth  ;  and  youth 
is  beautiful,  and  old  age  is  ugly.  Father  An- 
toine  knows  it  just  as  well  as  any  man.  Don't  I 
see,  good  as  he  is,  every  day  of  my  life,  with 
what  a  different  look  he  blesses  the  fair  young 
maidens  from  that  with  which  he  blesses  the 
wrinkled  old  women.  There  is  no  use  mind 
ing  it.  It  can't  be  helped.  But  things  might  as 
well  be  called  by  their  right  names." 

Marie  sat  down  on  a  garden  bench,  and  re 
flected.  So  the  good  Aunt  Hibba's  birthday 
was  next  month,  and  there  would  be  nobody  to 
keep  it  for  her  in  this  strange  country.  "  How 
can  we  find  out  ?  "  thought  Marie,  "  and  give  her 
a  pleasure." 

In  summer  weather,  Father  Antoine  took  his 
simple  dinners  on  the  porch.  It  was  cool  there, 
and  the  vines  and  flowers  save  to  the  little  nook 


232        HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

a  certain  air  of  elegance  which  Father  Antoine 
enjoyed  without  recognizing  why.  On  this 
evening  Marie  lingered  after  she  had  removed 
the  table.  She  fidgeted  about,  picking  up  a  leaf 
here  and  there,  and  looking  at  her  master,  till  he 
perceived  that  she  had  something  on  her  mind. 

"  What  is  it,  Marie  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Oh,  M  'sieur  Antoine  !  "  she  replied,  "  it  is 
about  the  good  Aunt  Hibba's  birthday.  Could 
you  not  ask  her  when  is  the  day  ?  and  it  should 
be  a  f$te  day,  if  we  only  knew  it ;  there  is  not 
one  that  would  not  be  glad  to  help  make  it  beau 
tiful." 

"  Eh,  my  Marie,  what  is  it  then  that  you  plan  ? 
The  people  in  the  country  from  which  she  comes 
have  no  fetes.  It  might  be  that  she  would  think 
it  a  folly,"  answered  Father  Antoine,  by  no 
means  sure  that  Hetty  would  like  such  a  testi 
monial. 

"  All  the  more,  then,  she  would  like  it,"  said 
Marie.  "  I  have  watched  her.  It  is  delight  to 
her  when  they  dance  about  the  spring,  and  she 
has  the  great  love  for  flowers." 

So  Father  Antoine,  by  a  little  circumlocution, 
discovered  when  the  birthday  would  come,  and 
told  Marie ;  and  Marie  began  straightway  to  go 
back  and  forth  in  the  village,  with  a  pleased  air 
of  mystery. 


HETTY1  S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         233 


XIV. 

HHHE  jDirthday  fell  on  a  day  in  June.  It  so 
happened  that  Hetty  was  later  than  usual 
in  leaving  her  patients  that  night ;  and  her  pur 
pose  had  been  to  go  home  by  the  nearest  way, 
and  not  pass  through  the  Square.  The  villagers 
had  feared  this,  and  had  forestalled  her  ;  at  the 
turning  where  she  would  have  left  the  main 
road,  she  found  waiting  for  her  the  swiftest- 
footed  urchin  in  all  St.  Mary's,  little  Pierre  Mi- 
chaud.  The  readiest  witted,  too,  and  of  the 
freest  tongue,  and  he  was  charged  to  bring  Aunt 
Hibba  by  the  way  of  the  Square,  but  by  no 
means  to  tell  her  the  reason. 

"  And  if  she  say  me  nay,  what  is  it  that  I  am 
to  tell  her,  then  ? "  urged  Pierrre. 

"  Art  thou  a  fool,  Pierre  ? "  said  his  mother, 
sharply.  "  Thou  'rt  ready  enough  with  excuses, 
I  '11  warrant,  for  thy  own  purposes  :  invent  one 
now.  It  matters  not,  so  that  thou  bring  her 
here."  And  Pierre,  reassured  by  this  maternal 


234        HETTY1  S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

carte  blanche  for  the  best  lie  he  could  think  of, 
raced  away,  first  tucking  securely  into  a  niche  of 
the  stone  basin  the  little  pot  with  a  red  carna 
tion  in  it  which  he  had  brought  for  his  contribu 
tion  to  the  birthday  fete. 

When  Hetty  saw  Pierre  waiting  at  the  corner, 
she  exclaimed  : 

"  What,  Pierre,  loitering  here  !  The  sunset 
is  no  time  to  idle.  Where  are  your  goats  ?  " 

"  Milked  an  hour  ago,  Tantibba,*  and  in  the 
shed,"  replied  Pierre,  with  a  saucy  air  of  having 
the  best  of  the  argument,  "  and  my  mother  waits 
in  the  Square  to  speak  to  thee  as  thou  passest." 

"  I  was  not  going  that  way,  to-night,"  replied 
Hetty.  "  I  am  in  haste.  What  does  she  wish  ? 
Will  it  not  do  as  well  in  the  morning  ?  " 

Alarmed  at  this  suggestion,  young  Pierre 
made  a  master-stroke  of  invention,  and  replied 
on  the  instant : 

"  Nay,  Bo  Tantibba,  f  that  it  will  not ;  for  it 
is  the  little  sister  of  Jean  Cochot  which  has  been 
badly  bitten  by  a  fierce  dog,  and  the  mother  has 
her  there  in  her  arms  waiting  for  thee  to  dress 

*  "  Tante  Hibba." 

t  The  French  Canadians  often  contract  "  bonne "  and 
"  bon  "  in  this  way.  "  Bo  Tantibba  "  is  contraction  for 
"  Bonne  Tante  Hibjpa." 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         235 

her  wounds.  Oh,  but  the  blood  doth  run  !  and 
the  little  one's  cries  would  pierce  thy  heart ! " 
And  the  rascally  Pierre  pretended  to  sob. 

"  Eh,  eh,  how  happened  that  ? "  said  Hetty, 
hurrying  on  so  swiftly  towards  the  Square  that 
even  Pierre's  brisk  little  legs  could  hardly  keep 
up  with  her.  Pierre's  inventive  faculty  came  to 
a  halt. 

"  Nay,  that  I  do  not  know,"  he  replied  ;  "  but 
the  people  are  all  gathered  around  her,  and  they 
all  cry  out  for  thee  by  thy  name.  There  is  none 
like  thee,  Tantibba,  they  say,  if  one  has  a  wound." 

Hetty  quickened  her  pace  to  a  run.  As  she 
entered  the  Square,  she  saw  such  crowds  around 
the  basin  that  Pierre's  tale  seemed  amply  cor 
roborated.  Pressing  in  at  the 'outer  edge  of  the 
circle,  she  exclaimed,  looking  to  right  and  left, 
"  Where  is  the  child  ?  Where  is  Mere  Michaud  ? " 
Every  one  looked  bewildered  ;  no  one  answered. 
Pierre,  with  an  upward  fling  of  his  agile  legs, 
disappeared  to  seek  his  carnation  ;  and  Hetty 
found  herself,  in  an  instant  more,  surrounded 
by  a  crowd  of  children,  each  in  its  finest  clothes, 
and  each  bearing  a  small  pot  with  a  flowering- 
plant  in  it. 

"  For  thee !  For  thee  !  The  good  saints  bless 
the  day  thou  wert  born  !  "  they  all  cried,  press 
ing  nearer,  and  lifting  high  their  little  pots. 


236         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  See  my  carnation  ! "  shouted  Pierre,  strug 
gling  nearer  to  Hetty.  "  And  my  jonquil !  " 
"  And  my  pansies ! "  "  And  this  forget-me- 
not  ! "  cried  the  children,  growing  more  and 
more  excited  each  moment ;  while  the  chorus, 
"  For  thee  !  For  thee  !  The  good  saints  bless 
the  day  thou  wert  born  ! "  rose  on  all  sides. 

Hetty  was  bewildered. 

"  What  does  all  this  mean  ? "  she  said  help 
lessly. 

Then,  catching  Pierre  by  the  shoulder  so  sud 
denly  that  his  red  carnation  tottered  and  nearly 
fell,  she  exclaimed : 

"  You  mischievous  boy  !  Where  is  the  child 
that  was  bitten  ?  Have  you  told  me  a  lie  ?  " 

At  this  moment,  Pierre's  mother,  pushing 
through  the  crowd,  exclaimed : 

"  Ah !  but  thou  must  forgive  him.  It  was  I 
that  sent  him  to  lie  to  thee,  that  thou  shouldst 
not  go  home.  We  go  with  thee,  to  do  our  honor 
to  the  day  on  which  thou  wert  born  !  " 

And  so  saying,  Mere  Michaud  turned,  and 
swinging  high  up  in  the  air  one  end  of  a  long 
wreath  of  feathery  ground-pine,  led  off  the  pro 
cession.  The  rest  followed  in  preconcerted  order, 
till  some  forty  men  and  women,  all  linked  to 
gether  by  the  swinging  loops  of  the  pine  wreath, 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         237 

were  in  line.  Then  they  suddenly  wheeled  and 
surrounded  the  bewildered  Hetty,  and  bore  her 
with  them.  The  children,  carrying  their  little 
pots  of  flowers,  ran  along  shouting  and  scream 
ing  with  laughter  to  see  the  good  "  Tantibba " 
so  amazed.  Louder  and  louder  rose  the  chorus : 

"  For  thee  !  For  thee  !  May  the  good  saints 
bless  the  day  thou  wert  born !  " 

Hetty  was  speechless  :  her  cheeks  flushed. 
She  looked  from  one  to  the  other,  and  all  she 
could  do  was  to  clasp  her  hands  and  smile.  If 
she  had  spoken,  she  would  have  cried.  When 
they  came  to  Father  Antoine's  cottage,  there  he 
stood  waiting  at  the  gate,  wearing  his  Sunday 
robes,  and  behind  him  stood  Marie,  also  in  her 
best,  and  with  her  broad  silver  necklace  on, 
which  the  villagers  had  only  two  or  three  times 
seen  her  wear.  Marie  had  her  hands  behind  her, 
and  was  trying  to  hold  out  her  narrow  black  pet 
ticoat  on  each  side  to  hide  something.  Myste 
rious  and  plaintive  noises  struggled  through  the 
woollen  folds,  and,  at  each  sound,  Marie  stamped 
her  foot  and  exclaimed  angrily  : 

"  Bah  !  thou  silly  beast,  be  quiet !  Wilt  thou 
spoil  all  our  sport  ?" 

The  procession  halted  before  the  house,  and 
Father  Antoine  advanced,  bearing  in  his  hands 


238         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

a  gay  wreath  of  flowers.  The  people  had  wished 
that  this  should  be  placed  on  Hetty's  head,  but 
Father  Antoine  had  persuaded  them  to  waive 
this  part  of  the  ceremony.  He  knew  well  that 
this  would  be  more  than  Hetty  could  bear. 
Holding  the  wreath  in  his  hands,  therefore,  he 
addressed  a  few  words  to  Hetty,  and  then  took 
his  place  by  her  side.  Now  was  Marie's  moment 
of  joy.  Springing  to  one  side  as  quickly  as  her 
rheumatic  old  joints  would  permit,  she  revealed 
what  she  had  been  trying  to  hide  behind  her 
scant  petticoat.  It  was  a  white  lamb,  decorated 
from  ears  to  tail  with  knots  of  ribbon  and  with 
flowers.  The  poor  little  thing  tugged  hard  at 
the  string  by  which  it  was  held,  and  shook  its 
pretty  head  in  restless  impatience  under  its  load 
of  finery,  and  bleated  piteously  :  but  for  all  that  it 
was  a  very  pretty  sight ;  and  the  broken  English 
with  which  Marie,  on  behalf  of  the  villagers, 
presented  the  little  creature  to  Hetty,  was  pret 
tier  still.  When  they  reached  Hetty's  gate,  all  the 
women  who  had  hold  of  the  long  pine  wreath 
gave  their  places  to  men ;  and,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  the  lithe  vigorous  fellows  were  on  the 
fences,  on  the  posts  of  the  porch,  nailing  the 
wreath  in  festoons  everywhere  ;  from  the  gate 
way  to  the  door  in  long  swinging  loops,  above 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.        239 

the  porch,  in  festoons  over  the  windows,  under 
the  eaves,  and  hanging  in  long  waving  ends  on 
the  walls.  Then  they  hung  upon  the  door  the 
crown  which  Hetty  had  not  worn,  and  the  little 
children  set  their  gay  pots  of  flowers  on  the 
window-sills  and  around  the  porch  ;  and  all  was 
a  merry  hubbub  of  voices  and  laughter.  Hetty 
grasped  Father  Antoine  by  the  arm. 

"  Oh,  do  you  speak  to  them,  and  thank  them 
for  me  !  I  can't ! "  she  said  ;  and  Father  An 
toine  saw  tears  in  her  eyes. 

"  But  you  must  speak  to  them,  my  daughter," 
he  replied,  "  else  they  will  be  grieved.  They 
cannot  understand  that  you  are  pleased  if  you 
say  no  word.  I  will  speak  first  till  you  are  more 
calm." 

When  Father  Antoine  had  finished  his  speech, 
Hetty  stepped  forward,  and  looking  round  on  all 
their  faces,  said : 

"  I  do  not  know  how  to  thank  you,  friends. 
I  never  saw  any  thing  like  this  before,  and  it 
makes  me  dumb.  All  I  can  say  is  that  you  have 
filled  my  heart  with  joy,  and  I  feel  no  more 
a  stranger :  your  village  is  my  home." 

"  Thanks  to  thee,  then,  for  that !  Thanks  to 
thee  !  And  the  good  saints  bless  the  day  thou 
wert  born,"  shouted  the  people,  and  the  little 


240         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

children  catching  the  enthusiasm,  and  wanting 
to  shout  something,  shouted :  "  Bo  Tantibba  ! 
Bo  Tantibba  ! "  till  the  place  rang.  Then  they 
placed  the  pet  lamb  in  a  little  enclosed  paddock 
which  had  been  built  for  him  during  the  day, 
and  the  children  fed  him  with  red  clover  blossoms 
through  the  paling ;  and  presently,  Father  An- 
toine  considerately  led  his  flock  away,  saying,  — 
"  The  good  Aunt  is  weary.  See  you  not  that 
her  eyes  droop,  and  she  has  no  words  ?  It  is 
now  kind  that  we  go  away,  and  leave  her  to 
rest." 

As  the  gay  procession  moved  away  crying, 
"  Good-night,  good-night !  "  Hetty  stood  on  the 
porch  and  watched  them.  She  was  on  the  point 
of  calling  them  back.  A  strange  dread  of  being 
left  alone  seized  upon  her.  Never  since  she  had 
forsaken  her  home  had  she  felt  such  a  sense  of 
loneliness,  except  when  she  was  crouched  under 
the  hemlock-trees  by  the  lake.  She  watched 
till  she  could  no  longer  see  even  a  fluttering 
motion  in  the  distance.  Then  she  went  into  the 
house.  The  silence  smote  her.  She  turned  and 
went  out  again,  and  went  to  the  paddock,  where 
the  little  lamb  was  bleating. 

"Poor  little  creature!"  she  said,  "wert  thou 
torn  from  thy  mother  ?  Dost  thou  pine  for  one 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         241 

thou  see'st  not  ?  "  She  untied  it,  led  it  into  the 
house,  and  spread  down  hay  and  blankets  for  it, 
in  one  corner  of  her  kitchen.  The  little  creature 
seemed  cheered  by  the  light  and  warmth ;  cuddled 
down  and  went  to  sleep. 

Hetty's  heart  was  full  of  thoughts.  "  Oh !  what 
would  Eben  have  said  if  he  could  have  seen  me 
to-night  ? "  "  How  Raby  would  have  delighted 
in  it  all ! "  "  How  long  am  I  to  live  this  strange 
life?"  "Can  this  be  really  I?"  "What  has 
become  of  my  old  life,  of  my  old  self  ? "  Like 
restless  waves  driven  by  a  wind  too  powerful 
to  be  resisted,  thoughts  and  emotions  surged 
through  Hetty's  breast.  She  buried  her  face  in 
her  hands  and  wept ;  wept  the  first  unrestrained 
tears  she  had  wept.  Only  for  a  few  moments, 
however.  Like  the  old  Hetty  Gunn  of  the  old  life, 
she  presently  sprang  to  her  feet,  and  said  to 
herself,  "  Oh,  what  a  selfish  soul  I  am  to  be 
spending  all  my  strength  this  way !  I  shan't  be 
fit  for  any  thing  to-morrow  if  I  go  on  so."  Then 
she  patted  the  lamb  on  its  head,  and  said  with  a 
comforting  sense  of  comradeship  in  the  little 
creature's  presence,  "  Good-night,  little  mother 
less  one!  Sleep  warm,"  and  then  she  went  to 
bed  and  slept  till  morning. 

I  have  dwelt  on  the  surface  details  of  Hetty's 
16 


242         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

life  at  St.  Mary's,  and  have  said  little  about  her 
mental  condition  and  experiences :  this  is  be 
cause  I  have  endeavored  to  present  this  part  of 
her  life,  exactly  as  she  lived  it,  and  as  she  would 
tell  it  herself.  That  there  were  many  hours  of 
acute  suffering  ;  many  moments  when  her  cour 
age  wellnigh  failed  ;  when  she  was  almost  ready 
to  go  back  to  her  home,  fling  herself  at  her  hus 
band's  feet,  and  cry,  "  Let  me  be  but  as  a  servant 
in  thy  house,"  —  it  is  not  needful  to  say. 

Hearts  answer  to  hearts,  and  no  heart  could 
fail  to  know  that  a  woman  in  Hetty's  position 
must  suffer  keenly  and  constantly.  But  this 
story  would  do  great  injustice  to  her,  and  would 
be  essentially  false,  if  it  spoke  often  of,  or  dwelt 
at  any  length  upon  the  sufferings  which  Hetty 
herself  never  mentioned,  and  put  always  away 
from  her  with  an  unflinching  resolution.  Year 
after  year,  the  routine  of  her  days  went  on  as  we 
have  described  ;  unchanged  except  that  she  grew 
more  and  more  into  the  affections  of  the  villagers 
among  whom  she  came  and  went,  and  of  the  hun 
dreds  of  ill  and  suffering  men  and  women  whom 
she  nursed.  She  was  no  nearer  becoming  a 
Roman  Catholic  than  she  had  been  when  she  sat 
in  the  Welbury  meeting-house :  even  Father 
Antoine  had  given  over  hoping  for  her  conver- 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         243 

sion  ;  but  her  position  in  St.  Mary's  was  like  the 
position  of  a  Lady  Abbess  in  a  religious  commu 
nity  ;  her  authority,  which  rarely  took  on  an  au 
thoritative  shape,  was  great ;  and  her  influence 
was  greater  than  her  authority.  In  Dr.  Mac- 
gowan's  House  of  Cure,  she  was  second  only 
to  the  doctor  himself ;  and,  if  the  truth  were 
told,  it  might  have  been  said  she  was  second  to 
none. 

Patients  went  away  from  St.  Mary's  every 
year  who  stoutly  ascribed  their  cure  to  *  her, 
and  not  to  the  waters  nor  to  the  physicians. 
Her  straightforward,  kindly,  common  sense  was 
a  powerful  tonic,  morally  and  physically,  to 
all  invalids  whom  she  nursed.  She  had  no 
tolerance  for  any  weakness  which  could  be 
conquered.  She  had  infinite  tenderness  for  all 
weakness  which  was  inevitable ;  and  her  dis 
criminations  between  the  two  were  always  just. 
"  I  'd  trust  more  to  Mrs.  Smailli's  diagnosis  of 
any  case  than  I  would  to  my  own,"  said  Dr. 
Macgowan  to  his  fellow-physicians  more  than 
once.  And,  when  they  scoffed  at  the  idea,  he 
replied :  "  I  do  not  mean  in  the  technicalities  of 
specific  disease,  of  course.  The  recognition  of 
those  is  a  matter  of  specific  training  ;  but,  in  all 
those  respects,  a  physician's  diagnosis  may  be 


244        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

faultless ;  and  yet  he  be  much  mistaken  in  re 
gard  to  the  true  condition  of  the  patient.  In 
this  finer,  subtler  diagnosis  of  general  conditions, 
especially  of  moral  conditions,  Mrs.  Smailli  is 
worth  more  than  all  the  doctors  in  Canada 
put  together.  If  she  says  a  patient  will  get  well, 
he  always  does,  and  vice  versa.  She  knows 
where  the  real  possibility  of  recuperation  lies, 
and  detects  it  often  in  patients  I  despair  of." 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.        24$ 


XV. 

A  ND  now  this  story  must  again  pass  over  a 
•^*"  period  of  ten  years  in  the  history  of  Eben 
and  Hetty  Williams.  During  all  these  years, 
Hetty  had  been  working  faithfully  in  St.  Ma 
ry's  ;  and  Dr.  Eben  had  been  working  faith 
fully  in  Welbury.  Hetty  was  now  fifty-six  years 
old.  Her  hair  was  white,  and  clustered  round 
her  temples  in  a  rim  of  snowy  curls,  peeping  out 
from  under  the  close  lace  cap  she  always  wore. 
But  the  snowy  curls  were  hardly  less  becoming 
than  the  golden  brown  ones  had  been.  Her 
cheeks  were  still  pink,  and  her  lips  red.  She 
looked  far  less  old  for  her  age  at  fifty-six  than 
she  had  looked  ten  years  before. 

Dr.  Eben,  on  the  other  hand,  had  grown  old 
fast.  His  work  had  not  been  to  him  as  com 
plete  and  healthful  occupation  as  Hetty's  had 
been  to  her.  He  had  lived  more  within  him 
self  ;  and  he  had  never  ceased  to  sorrow.  His 
sorrow,  being  for  one  dead,  was  without  hope ; 


246         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

save  that  intangible  hope  to  which  our  faith  so 
pathetically  clings,  of  the  remote  and  undefined 
possibilities  of  eternity.  Hetty's  sorrow  was 
full  of  hope,  being  persuaded  that  all  was  well 
with  those  whom  she  did  not  see. 

Dr.  Eben  loved  no  one  warmly  or  with  ab 
sorption.  Hetty  loved  every  suffering  one  to 
whom  she  ministered.  Dr.  Eben  had  never 
ceased  living  too  much  in  the  past.  Hetty  had 
learned  to  live  almost  wholly  in  the  present. 
Hetty  had  suffered,  had  suffered  intensely ;  but 
all  that  she  had  suffered  was  as  nothing  in  com 
parison  with  the  sufferings  of  her  husband. 
Moreover,  Hetty  had  kept  through  all  these 
years  her  superb  health.  Dr.  Eben  had  had 
severe  illnesses,  which  had  told  heavily  upon 
his  strength.  From  all  these  things  it  had 
come  to  pass,  that  now  he  looked  older  and 
more  worn  than  Hetty.  She  looked  vigorous  ; 
he  looked  feeble  ;  she  was  still  comely,  he  had 
lost  all  the  fineness  of  color  and  outline,  which 
had  made  him  at  forty  so  handsome  a  man. 
He  had  been  growing  restless,  too,  and  dis 
contented. 

Raby  was  away  at  college ;  old  Caesar  and 
Nan  had  both  died,  and  their  places  were  filled 
by  new  white  servants,  who,  though  they  served 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         247 

Dr.  Eben  well,  did  not  love  him.  Deacon  Little 
had  died  also,  and  Jim  and  Sally  had  been 
obliged  to  go  back  to  the  old  homestead  to  live, 
to  take  care  of  Mrs.  Little,  who  was  now  a  help 
less  paralytic. 

"  Gunn's,"  as  it  was  still  called,  and  always 
would  be,  was  no  longer  the  brisk  and  cheerful 
place  which  it  had  once  been.  The  farm  was 
slowly  falling  off,  from  its  master's  lack  of  in 
terest  in  details  ;  and  the  old  stone  house  had 
come  to  wear  a  certain  look  of  desolation.  The 
pines  met  and  interlaced  their  boughs  over  the 
whole  length  of  the  road  from  the  gate  to  the 
front-door ;  and,  in  a  dark  day,  it  was  like  an 
underground  passage-way,  cold  and  damp.  If 
Hetty  could  have  been  transported  to  the  spot, 
how  would  her  heart  have  ached !  How  would 
she  have  seen,  in  terrible  handwriting,  the 
record  of  her  mistaken  act ;  the  blight  which 
her  one  wrong  step  had  cast,  not  only  upon 
hearts  and  lives,  but  even  upon  the  visible  face 
of  nature.  But  Hetty  did  not  dream  of  this. 
Whenever  she  permitted  her  fancy  to  dwell 
upon  imaginings  of  her  old  home,  she  saw  it 
bright  with  sunshine,  merry  with  the  voices  of 
little  children  :  and  her  husband  handsome  still, 
and  young,  walking  by  the  side  of  a  beautiful 
woman,  mother  of  his  children. 


248         HETTY 'S  STXANGE  HISTORY. 

At  last  Dr.  Eben  took  a  sudden  resolution ; 
the  result,  partly,  of  his  restless  discontent ; 
partly  of  his  consciousness  that  he  was  in  dan 
ger  of  breaking  down  and  becoming  a  chronic 
invalid.  He  offered  "  Gunn's "  for  sale,  and 
announced  that  he  was  going  abroad  for  some 
years.  Spite  of  the  dismay  with  which  this 
news  was  received  throughout  the  whole  coun 
ty,  'everybody's  second  thought  was  :  "  Poor 
fellow  !  I  'm  glad  of  it.  It 's  the  best  thing  he 
can  do." 

Hetty's  cousin,  Josiah  Gunn,  the  man  that 
she  had  so  many  years  ago  predicted  would  ulti 
mately  have  the  estate,  bought  it  in,  outbidding 
the  most  determined  bidders  (for  "  Gunn's  "  was 
much  coveted)  ;  and  paying  finally  a  sum  even 
larger  than  the  farm  was  really  worth.  Dr. 
Eben  was  now  a  rich  man,  and  free.  The  world 
lay  before  him.  When  all  was  done,  he  felt  a 
strange  unwillingness  to  leave  Welbury.  The 
travel,  the  change,  which  had  looked  so  desira 
ble  and  attractive,  now  looked  formidable  ;  and 
he  lingered  week  after  week,  unable  to  tear  him 
self  away  from  home.  One  day  he  rode  over 
to  Springton,  to  bid  Rachel  Barlow  good-by. 
Rachel  was  now  twenty-eight  years  old,  and  a 
very  beautiful  woman.  Many  men  had  sought 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         249 

to  marry  her,  but  Dr.  Eben's  prediction  had  been 
realized.  Rachel  would  not  marry.  Her  health 
was  perfectly  established,  and  she  had  been  for 
years  at  the  head  of  the  Springton  Academy. 
Doctor  Eben  rarely  saw  her ;  but  when  he  did 
her  manner  had  the  same  child-like  docility  and 
affectionate  gratitude  that  had  characterized  it 
when  she  was  seventeen.  She  had  never  ceased 
to  feel  that  she  owed  her  life,  and  more  than  her 
life,  to  him  :  how  much  more  she  felt,  Dr.  Eben 
had  never  dreamed  until  this  day.  When  he 
told  her  that  he  was  going  to  Europe,  she  turned 
pale,  but  said  earnestly : 

"  Oh,  I  am  very  glad !  you  have  needed  the 
change  so  much.  How  long  will  you  stay  ? " 

"  I  don't  know,  Rachel,"  he  replied  sadly. 
"  Perhaps  all  the  rest  of  my  life.  I  have  done 
my  best  to  live  here  ;  but  I  can't.  It 's  no  use  : 
I  can't  bear  it.  I  have  sold  the  place." 

Rachel's  lips  parted,  but  she  did  not  speak ; 
her  face  flushed  scarlet,  then  turned  white  ;  and, 
without  a  moment's  warning  or  possibility  of 
staying  the  tears,  she  buried  her  face  in  her 
hands,  and  wept  convulsively.  In  the  same  in 
stant,  a  magnetic  sense  of  all  that  this  grief 
meant  thrilled  through  Doctor  Eben's  every 
nerve.  No  such  thought  had  ever  crossed  his 


250         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

mind  before.  Rachel  had  never  been  to  him 
any  thing  but  the  "  child "  he  had  first  called 
her.  Very  reverently  seeking  now  to  shield 
her  womanhood  from  any  after  pain  of  fear, 
lest  she  might  have  betrayed  her  secret,  he 
said: 

"  Why,  my  child  !  you  must  not  feel  so 
badly  about  it.  I  ought  not  to  have  spoken  so. 
Of  course,  you  must  know  that  my  life  has  been 
a  very  lonely  one,  and  always  must  be.  But  I 
should  not  give  up  and  go  away,  simply  for  that. 
I  am  not  well,  and  I  am  quite  sure  that  I  need 
several  years  of  a  milder  climate.  I  dare  say  I 
shall  be  home-sick,  and  come  back  after  all." 

Rachel  lifted  her  eyes  and  looked  steadily  in 
his.  Her  tears  stopped.  The  old  clairvoyant 
gaze,  which  he  had  not  seen  on  her  face  for 
many  years,  returned. 

"  No.  You  will  never  come  back,"  she  said 
slowly.  Then,  as  one  speaking  in  a  dream,  she 
said  still  more  slowly,  and  uttering  each  word 
with  difficulty  and  emphasis  : 

"I  —  do  —  not  —  believe  —  your  —  wife  —  is 
—  dead."  Much  shocked,  and  thinking  that 
these  words  were  merely  the  utterance  of  an 
hysterical  excitement,  Dr.  Eben  replied : 

"  Not  to  me,  dear  child  ;  she  never  will  be  :  but 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         251 

you  must  not  let  yourself  be  excited  in  this  way. 
You  will  be  ill.  I  must  be  your  doctor  again 
and  prescribe  for  you." 

Rachel  continued  to  watch  him,  with  the  same 
bright  and  unflinching  gaze.  He  turned  from 
her,  and,  bringing  her  a  glass  of  water  in  which 
he  had  put  a  few  drops  from  a  vial,  said  in  his 
old  tone : 

"  Drink  this,  Rachel." 

She  obeyed  in  silence  ;  her  eyes  drooped  ;  the 
tension  of  her  whole  figure  relaxed  ;  and,  with  a 
long  sigh,  she  exclaimed : 

"  Oh,  forgive  me  !  " 

"  There  is  nothing  to  forgive,  my  child,"  said 
the  doctor,  much  moved,  and,  longing  to  throw 
his  arms  around  her  as  she  sat  there,  so  gentle, 
appealing,  beautiful,  loving.  "Why  can  I  not 
love  her  ?  "  "  What  else  is  there  better  in  life 
for  me  to  do  ? "  he  thought,  but  his  heart  refused. 
Hetty,  the  lost  dead  Hetty,  stood  as  much  be 
tween  him  and  all  other  women  to-day,  as  she 
had  stood  ten  years  before. 

"  I  must  go  now,  Rachel,"  he  said.    "  Good-by." 

She  put  her  cold  hand  in  his.  As  he  took  it, 
by  a  curious  freak  of  his  brain,  there  flashed 
into  his  mind  the  memory  of  the  day  when,  by 
the  side  of  this  fragile  white  little  hand  lying 


252        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

in  his,  Hetty,  laughingly,  had  placed  her  own, 
broad  and  firm  and  brown.  The  thought  of 
that  hand  of  Hetty's,  and  her  laugh  at  that 
moment,  were  too  much  for  him,  and  he  dropped 
Rachel's  hand  abruptly,  and  moved  toward  the 
door.  She  gave  a  low  cry :  he  turned  back  ;  she 
took  a  step  towards  him. 

"  I  shall  never  see  you  again,"  she  said,  taking 
his  hand  in  hers.  "  I  owe  my  life  to  you,"  and 
she  carried  his  hand  to  her  lips,  and  kissed  it 
again  and  again.  "  God  bless  you,  child  !  Good- 
by  !  good-by  ! "  he  said.  Rachel  did  not  speak, 
and  he  left  her  standing  there,  gazing  after  him 
with  a  look  on  her  face  which  haunted  him  as 
long  as  he  lived. 

Why  Doctor  Eben  should  have  resolved  to 
sail  for  England  in  a  Canadian  steamer,  and 
why,  having  reached  Canada,  he  should  have  re 
solved  to  postpone  his  voyage,  and  make  a  trial 
of  the  famous  springs  of  St.  Mary's,  are  mys 
teries  hid  in  that  book  of  Fate  whose  leaves  no 
mortal  may  turn.  We  prate  in  our  shallow  wis 
dom  about  causes,  but  the  most  that  we  can  trace 
is  a  short  line  of  incidental  occasions.  A  pam 
phlet  which  Doctor  Eben  found  in  the  office  of  a 
hotel  was  apparently  the  reason  of  his  going  to 
St.  Mary's  ;  all  the  reason  so  far  as  he  knew,  or 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.        253 

as  any  man  might  know.  But  that  man  is  to  be 
pitied  who  lives  his  life  out  under  the  impression 
that  it  is  within  his  own  guidance.  Only  one 
remove  from  the  life  of  the  leaf  which  the  winds 
toss  where  they  list  would  be  such  a  life  as  that. 

It  was  with  no  very  keen  interest  that  Doctor 
Eben  arrived  in  St.  Mary's.  He  had  some  faint 
hope  that  the  waters  might  do  him  good :  but 
he  found  the  sandy  stretches  and  long  lines  of 
straight  firs  in  Canada  very  monotonous  ;  and 
he  was  already  beginning  to  be  oppressed  by  the 
sense  of  homelessness.  His  quiet  and  domestic 
life  had  unfitted  him  for  being  a  wanderer,  and 
he  was  already  looking  forward  to  the  greater 
excitements  of  European  travel ;  hoping  that 
they  would  prove  more  diverting  and  enter 
taining  than  he  had  thus  far  found  travel  in 
America. 

He  entered  St.  Mary's  as  Hetty  had  done,  just 
at  sunset.  It  was  a  warm  night  in  June ;  and, 
after  his  tea  at  the  little  inn,  Dr.  Eben  sauntered 
out  listlessly.  The  sound  of  merry  voices  in  the 
Square  repelled  him ;  unlike  Hetty,  he  shrank 
from  strange  faces  :  turning  in  the  direction 
where  it  seemed  stillest,  he  walked  slowly  towards 
the  woods.  He  looked  curiously  at  the  little  red 
chapel,  and  at  Father  Antoine's  cottage,  now 


254        HETTY'S  STRANGE-  HISTORY. 

literally  imbedded  in  flowers.  Then  he  paused 
before  Hetty's  tiny  house.  A  familiar  fragrance 
arrested  him;  leaning  on  the  paling  he  looked 
over  into  the  garden,  started,  and  said,  under  his 
breath  :  "  How  strange !  How  strange ! "  There 
were  long  straight  beds  of  lavender  and  balm, 
growing  together,  as  they  used  to  grow  in  <the 
old  garden  at  "  Gunn's."  Both  the  balm  and 
the  lavender  were  in  full  blossom  ;  and  the  two 
scents  mingled  and  separated  and  mingled  in 
the  warm  air,  like  the  notes  of  two  instruments 
unlike,  yet  in  harmony.  The  strong  lemon  odor 
of  the  balm,  was  persistently  present  like  the 
mastering  chords  of  the  violoncello,  and  the  fine 
and  subtle  fragrances  from  the  myriad  cells  of 
the  pale  lavender  floated  above  and  below,  now 
distant,  now  melting  and  disappearing,  like  a 
delicate  melody.  Dr.  Eben  was  borne  away 
from  the  present,  out  of  himself.  He  thrust  his 
hand  through  the  palings,  and  gathered  a  crushed 
handful  of  the  lavender  blossoms :  eagerly  he 
inhaled  their  perfume.  Drawers  and  chests  at 
"  Gunn's  "  had  been  thick  strewn  with  lavender 
for  half  a  century.  All  Hetty's  clothes  —  Hetty 
herself  —  had  been  full  of  the  exquisite  fragrance. 
The  sound  of  quick  pattering  steps  roused  him 
from  his  reverie.  A  bare-footed  boy  was  driving 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         255 

a  flock  of  goats  past.  The  child  stopped  and 
gazed  intently  at  the  stranger. 

"  Child,  who  lives  in  this  little  house  ? "  said 
Dr.  Eben,  cautiously  hiding  his  stolen  handful 
of  lavender. 

"  Tantibba,"  replied  the  boy. 

"  What ! "  exclaimed  the  doctor.  "  I  don't  un 
derstand  you.  What  is  the  name  ?  " 

"Tantibba!  Tantibba!"  the  child  shouted, 
looking  back  over  his  shoulder,  as  he  raced  on 
to  overtake  his  goats.  " Bo  Tantibba."  "Some 
old  French  name  I  suppose,"  thought  Dr.  Eben  : 
"  but,  it  is  very  odd  about  the  herbs  ;  the  two 
growing  together,  so  exactly  as  Hetty  used  to 
have  them  ; "  and  he  walked  reluctantly  away,  car 
rying  the  bruised  lavender  blossoms  in  his  hand, 
and  breathing  in  their  delicious  fragrance.  As 
he  drew  near  the  inn,  he  observed  on  the  other 
side  of  the  way  a  woman  hurrying  in  the  opposite 
direction.  She  had  a  sturdy  thick-set  figure,  and 
her  step,  although  rapid,  was  not  the  step  of  a 
young  person.  She  wore  on  her  head  only  a  close 
white  cap  ;  and  her  gray  gown  was  straight  and 
scant :  on  her  arm  she  carried  a  basket  of  scarlet 
plaited  straw,  which  made  a  fine  bit  of  color 
against  the  gray  and  white  of  her  costume.  It 
was  just  growing  dusk,  and  the  doctor  could  not 


256         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

distinguish  her  features.  At  that  moment,  a  lad 
came  running  from  the  inn,  and  darted  across 
the  road,  calling  aloud,  "Tantibba  !  Tantibba  !  " 
The  woman  turned  her  head,  at  the  name,  and 
waited  till  the  lad  came  to  her.  Dr.  Eben. stood 
still,  watching  them.  "  So  that  is  Tantibba  ? " 
he  thought,  "  what  can  the  name  be  ? "  Presently 
the  lad  came  back  with  a  bunch  of  long  droop 
ing  balm-stalks  in  his  hand. 

"  Who  was  that  you  spoke  to  then  ? "  asked 
the  doctor. 

"  Tantibba  !  "  replied  the  lad,  hurrying  'on. 
Dr.  Eben  caught  him  by  the  shoulder.  "  Look 
here!"  he  exclaimed,  "just  tell  me  that  name 
again.  This  is  the  fourth  time  I  Ve  heard  it  to 
night.  Is  it  the  woman's  first  name  or  what  ? " 
The  lad  was  a  stupid  English  lad,  who  had  but 
recently  come  to  service  in  St.  Mary's,  and  had 
never  even  thought  to  wonder  what  the  name 
"  Tantibba,"  meant.  He  stared  vacantly  for  a 
moment,  and  then  said  : 

"  Indeed,  sir,  and  I  don't  know.  She  's  never 
called  any  thing  else  that  I  Ve  heard." 

"  Who  is  she  ?  what  does  she  do  ? "  asked  the 
doctor. 

"  Oh,  sir !  she 's  a  great  nurse,  from  foreign 
parts :  she  has  a  power  of  healing-herbs  in  her 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 


garden,  and  she  goes  each  day  to  the  English 
House  to  heal  the  sick.  There's  nobody  like 
her.  If  she  do  but  lay  her  hand  on  one,  they  do 
say  it  is  a  cure." 

"  She  is  French,  I  suppose,"  said  the  doctor  ; 
thinking  to  himself,  "  Some  adventuress,  doubt 
less." 

"  Ay,  sir,  I  think  so,"  answered  the  lad  ;  "  but  I 
must  not  stay  to  speak  any  more,  for  the  mistress 
waits  for  this  balm  to  make  tea  for  the  cook 
Jean,  who  is  like  to  have  a  fever  ;  "  and  the  lad 
disappeared  under  the  low  archway  of  the  base 
ment. 

Dr.  Eben  walked  back  and  forth  in  front  of 
the  inn,  still  crushing  in  his  fingers  the  lavender 
flowers  and  inhaling  their  fragrance.  Idly  he 
watched  "  Tantibba's  "  figure  till  it  disappeared 
in  the  distance. 

"This  is  just  the  sort  of  place  for  a  tricky 
old  French  woman  to  make  a  fortune  in,"  he 
said  to  himself:  "  these  people  are  simple  enough 
to  believe  any  thing  ;  "  and  Dr.  Eben  went  to 
his  room,  and  tossed  the  lavender  blossoms  down 
on  his  pillow. 

When  he  waked  in  the  morning,  his  first 
thoughts  were  bewildered  :  nothing  in  nature  is 
so  powerful  in  association  as  a  perfume.  A 
17 


258        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

sound,  a  sight,  is  feeble  in  comparison ;  the 
senses  are  ever  alert,  and  the  mind  is  accus 
tomed  always  to  act  promptly  on  their  evidence. 
But  a  subtle  perfume,  which  has  been  associated 
with  a  person,  a  place,  a  scene,  can  ever  after 
ward  arrest  us  ;  can  take  us  unawares,  and  hold 
us  spell-bound,  while  both  memory  and  knowl 
edge  are  drugged  by  its  charm. 

Dr.  Eben  did  not  open  his  eyes.  In  an 
ecstasy  of  half  consciousness  he  murmured, 
"  Hetty."  As  he  stirred,  his  hand  came  in  con 
tact  with  the  withered  flowers.  Touch  was 
more  potent  than  smell.  He  roused,  lifted  his 
head,  saw  the  little  blossoms  now  faded  and 
gray  lying  near  his  cheek  ;  and  saying,  "  Oh,  I 
remember,"  sank  back  again  into  a  few  moments' 
'drowsy  reverie. 

The  morning  was  clear  and  cool,  one  window 
of  the  doctor's  room  looked  east ;  the  splendor 
of  the  sunrise  shone  in  and  illuminated  the 
whole  place.  While  he  was  dressing,  he  found 
himself  persistently  thinking  of  the  strange 
name,  "  Tantibba."  "  It  is  odd  how  that  name 
haunts  me,"  he  thought.  "  I  wish  I  could  see  it 
written  :  I  haven't  the  least  idea  how  it  is 
spelled.  I  wonder  if  she  is  an  impostor.  Her 
garden  didn't  look  like  it."  Presently  he  saun- 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         259 

tered  out :  the  morning  stir  was  just  beginning 
in  the  village.  The  child  to  whom  he  had  spoken 
at  "  Tantibba's  "  gate,  the  night  before,  came  up, 
driving  the  same  flock  of  goats.  The  little  fellow, 
as  he  passed,  pulled  the  ragged  tassel  of  his  cap 
in  token  of  recognition  of  the  stranger  who  had 
accosted  him.  Without  any  definite  purpose, 
Dr.  Eben  followed  slowly  on,  watching  a  pair 
of  young  kids,  who  fell  behind  the  flock,  frolick 
ing  and  half-fighting  in  antics  so  grotesque  that 
they  looked  more  like  gigantic  grasshoppers 
than  like  goats.  Before  he  knew  how  far  he 
had  walked,  he  suddenly  perceived  that  he  was 
very  near  "  Tantibba's  "  house. 

"  I  '11  walk  on  and  steal  another  handful  of  the 
lavender,"  he  thought ;  "  and  if  the  old  woman 's 
up,  perhaps  I  '11  get  a  sight  of  her.  I  'd  like  to 
see  what  sort  of  a  face  answers  to  that  outland 
ish  name." 

As  the  doctor  leaned  over  the  paling,  and 
looked  again  at  Hetty's  garden,  he  saw  some 
thing  which  had  escaped  his  notice  before,  and 
at  which  he  started  again,  and  muttered  —  this 
time  aloud,  and  with  an  expression  almost  of 
terror, —  "  Good  Heavens,  if  there  isn't  a  chrys 
anthemum  bed  too,  exactly  like  ours  !  what  does 
this  mean  ?  "  Hetty  had  little  thought  when  she 


260         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

was  laying  out  her  garden,  as  nearly  as  possible 
like  the  garden  she  had  left  behind  her,  that  she 
was  writing  a  record  which  any  eye  but  her  own 
would  note. 

"  I  believe  I  '11  go  in  and  see  this  old  French 
woman,"  he  thought :  "it  is  such  a  strange  .thing 
that  she  should  have  just  the  same  flowers 
Hetty  had.  I  don't  believe  she 's  an  adventuress, 
after  all." 

Dr.  Eben  had  his  hand  on  the  latch  of  the 
gate.  At  that  instant,  the  cottage  door  opened, 
and  "  Tantibba,"  in  her  white  cap  and  gray  gown, 
and  with  her  scarlet  basket  on  her  arm,  appeared 
on  the  threshold.  Dr.  Eben  lifted  his  hat  cour 
teously,  and  advanced. 

"  I  was  just  about  to  take  the.  liberty  of  knock 
ing  at  your  door,  madame,"  he  said,  "  to  ask 
if  you  would  give  me  a  few  of  your  lavender 
blossoms." 

As  he  began  to  speak,  "  TantibbaV  basket  fell 
from  her  hand.  As  he  advanced  towards  her, 
her  eyes  grew  large  with  terror,  and  all  color  left 
her  cheeks. 

"  Why  do  I  terrify  her  so  ? "  thought  Dr. 
Eben,  quickening  his  steps,  and  hastening  to 
reassure  her,  by  saying  still  more  gently  : 

"  Pray  forgive   me   for   intruding.     I  "  —  the 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.        26 1 

words  died  on  his  lips  :  he  stood  like  one  stricken 
by  paralysis  ;  his  hands  falling  helplessly  by 
his  side,  and  his  eyes  fixed  in  almost  ghastly 
dread  on  this  gray-haired  woman,  from  whose 
white  lips  came,  in  Hetty's  voice,  the  cry : 

"  Eben  !  oh  !  Eben  ! " 

Hetty  was  the  first  to  recover  herself.  Seeing 
with  terror  how  rigid  and  pale  her  husband's 
face  had  become ;  how  motionless,  like  one 
turned  to  stone,  he  stood  —  she  hastened  down 
the  steps,  and,  taking  him  by  the  hand,  said,  in  a 
trembling  whisper : 

"  Oh,  come  into  the  house,  Eben." 

Mechanically  he  followed  her  ;  she  still  leading 
him  by  the  hand,  like  a  child.  Like  a  child,  or 
rather  like  a  blind  man,  he  sat  down  in  the  chair 
which  she  placed  for  him.  His  eyes  did  not 
move  from  her  face  ;  but  they  looked  almost  like 
sightless  eyes.  Hetty  stood  before  him,  with 
her  hands  clasped  tight.  Neither  spoke.  At 
last  Dr.  Eben  said  feebly  : 

"  Are  you  Hetty  ? " 

"  Yes,  Eben,"  answered  Hetty,  with  a  tearless 
sob.  He  did  not  speak  again :  still  with  a  strange 
unseeing  look,  his  eyes  roved  over  her  face,  her 
figure.  Then  he  rea'ched  out  one  hand  and 
touched  her  gown  ;  curiously,  he  lifted  the  soft 


262        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

gray  serge,  and  fingered  it ;  then  he  said 
again  : 

"Are  you  Hetty?" 

"  Oh,  Eben !  dear  Eben  !  indeed  I  am,"  broke 
forth  Hetty.  "  Do  forgive  me.  Can't  you  ? " 

"  Forgive  you  ? "  repeated  Dr.  Eben,  help 
lessly.  "What  for?" 

"  Oh,  my  God  !  he  thinks  we  are  both  dead  : 
what  shall  I  do  to  rouse  him  ? "  thought  Hetty, 
all  the  nurse  in  her  coming  to  the  rescue  of  the 
woman  and  wife. 

"  For  going  away  and  leaving  you,  Eben,"  she 
said  in  a  clear  resolute  voice.  "  I  wasn't  drowned. 
I  came  away." 

Dr.  Eben  smiled  ;  a  smile  which  terrified 
Hetty  more  than  his  look  or  voice  or  words 
had  done. 

"  Eben  !  Eben  ! "  she  cried,  putting  both  her 
hands  on  his  shoulders,  and  bringing  her  face 
close  to  his.  "  Don't  look  like  that.  I  tell  you  I 
wasn't  drowned.  I  am  alive  :  feel  me  !  feel  me  ! 
I  am  Hetty;"  and  she  knelt  before  him,  and 
laid  her  arms  across  his  knees.  The  touch,  the 
grasp,  the  warmth  of  her  strong  flesh,  penetrated 
his  inmost  consciousness,  and  brought  back  the 
tottering  senses.  His  eyes  lost  their  terrifying 
and  ghastly  expression,  and  took  on  one  search 
ing  and  half-stern. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         263 

"  You  were  not  drowned !"  he  said.  "  You  have 
not  been  dead  all  these  years  !  You  went  away ! 
You  are  not  Hetty ! "  and  he  pushed  her  arms 
rudely  from  his  knees.  Then,  in  the  next  second, 
he  had  clasped  her  fiercely  in  his  arms,  crying 
aloud  : 

"  You  are  Hetty !  I  feel  you  !  I  know  you  ! 
Oh  Hetty,  Hetty,  wife,  what  does  this  all  mean  ? 
Who  took  you  away  from  me  ?  "  And  tears, 
blessed  saving  tears,  filled  Dr.  Eben's  eyes. 

Now  began  the  retribution  of  Hetty's  mistake. 
In  this  moment,  with  her  husband's  arms  around 
her,  his  eyes  fixed  on  hers,  the  whole  cloud  of 
misapprehension  under  which  she  had  acted  was 
revealed  to  her  as  by  a  beam  of  divine  light  from 
heaven.  Smitten  to  the  heart  by  a  sudden  and 
overwhelming  remorse,  Hetty  was  speechless. 
She  could  only  look  pleadingly  into  his  face,  and 
murmur : 

"Oh,  Eben!  Eben!" 

He  repeated  his  questions,  growing  calmer 
with  each  word,  and  with  each  moment's  increas 
ing  realization  of  Hetty's  presence. 

"  Who  took  you  away  ? " 

"  Nobody,"  answered  Hetty.     "  I  came  alone." 

"  Did  you  not  love  me,  Hetty  ? "  said  Dr. 
Eben  in  sad  tones,  struck  by  a  new  fear. 


264         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

This  question  unsealed  Hetty's  lips. 

"  Love  you  ! "  she  exclaimed  in  a  piercing  voice. 
"  Love  you !  oh,  Eben  ! "  and  then  she  poured  out, 
without  reserves  or  disguises,  the  whole  story  of 
her  convictions,  her  decision,  and  her  flight.  Her 
husband  did  not  interrupt  her  by  word  or  ges 
ture.  As  she  proceeded  with  her  narrative,  he 
slowly  withdrew  his  eyes  from  her  face,  and 
fixed  them  on  the  floor.  It  was  harder  for  her 
to  speak  when  he  thus  looked  away  from  her. 
Timidly  she  said  : 

"  Do  not  turn  your  eyes  away  from  me,  Eben. 
It  makes  me  afraid.  I  cannot  tell  you  the  rest, 
if  you  look  so." 

With  an  evident  effort,  he  raised  his  eyes 
again,  and  again  met  her  earnest  gaze.  But  it 
was  only  for  a  few  seconds.  Again  his  eyes 
drooped,  evaded  hers,  and  rested  on  the  floor. 
Again  Hetty  paused  ;  and  said  still  more  plead 
ingly  : 

"  Please  look  at  me,  Eben.  Indeed  I  can't 
talk  to  you  if  you  do  not." 

Like  one  stung  suddenly  by  some  insupport 
able  pain,  he  wrenched  her  hands  from  his  knees, 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  walked  swiftly  back  and 
forth.  She  remained  kneeling  by  the  chair,  look 
ing  up  at  him  with  a  most  piteous  face. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         265 

"  Hetty,"  he  exclaimed,  "  you  must  be  patient 
with  me.  Try  and  imagine  what  it  is  to  have 
believed  for  ten  years  that  you  were  dead  ;  to 
have  mourned  you  as  dead  ;  to  have  spent  ten 
whole  years  of  weary,  comfortless  days  ;  and  then 
to  find  suddenly  that  you  have  been  all  this  time 
living,  —  voluntarily  hiding  yourself  from  me  ; 
needlessly  torturing  me !  Why,  Hetty  !  Hetty  ! 
you  must  have  been  mad.  You  must  be  mad 
now,  I  think,  to  kneel  there  and  tell  me  all  these 
details  so  calmly,  and  in  such  a  matter-of-fact 
way.  Do  you  realize  what  a  monstrous  thing 
you  have  been  doing  ? "  And  Dr.  Eben's  eyes 
blazed  with  a  passionate  indignation,  as  he 
stopped  short  in  his  excited  walk  and  looked 
down, upon  Hetty.  Then,  in  the  next  second, 
touched  by  the  look  on  her  uplifted  face,  so 
noble,  so  pure,  so  benevolent,  he  forgot  all  his 
resentment,  all  his  perplexity,  all  his  pain  ;  and, 
stooping  over  her,  he  lifted  her  from  her  knees, 
and,  folding  her  close  to  his  bosom,  exclaimed  : 

"  Oh,  my  Hetty,  my  own ;  forgive  me.  I  am  the 
one  that  is  mad.  How  can  I  think  of  any  thing 
except  the  joy  of  having  found  you  again  ?  No 
wonder  I  thought  at  first  we  were  both  dead. 
Oh,  my  precious  wife,  is  it  really  you  ?  Are  you 
sure  we  are  alive  ? "  And  he  kissed  her  again 


266        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

and  again,  —  hair,  brow,  eyes,  lips,  —  with  a 
solemn  rapture. 

A  great  silence  fell  upon  them  :  there  seemed 
no  more  to  say.  Suddenly,  Dr.  Eben  ex 
claimed  : 

"  Rachel  said  she  did  not  believe  you  were 
dead." 

At  mention  of  Rachel's  name,  a  spasm  crossed 
Hetty's  face.  In  the  excitement  of  her  mingled 
terror  and  joy,  she  had  not  yet  thought  of 
Rachel. 

"  Where  is  Rachel  ? "  she  gasped,  her  very 
heart  standing  still  as  she  asked  the  question. 

"  At  home,"  answered  the  doctor ;  and  his 
countenance  clouded  at  the  memory  of  his  last 
interview  with  her.  Hetty's  fears  misinter 
preted  the  reply  and  the  sudden  cloud  on  his 
face. 

"Is  she  —  did  you  —  where  is  her  home?" 
she  stammered. 

A  great  light  broke  in  on  Dr.  Eben's  mind. 

"  Good  God  ! "  he  cried.  "  Hetty,  it  is  not 
possible  that  you  thought  I  loved  Rachel  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Hetty.  "  I  only  thought  you  could 
love  her,  if  it  were  right ;  and  if  I  were  dead  it 
would  be." 

A  look  of  horror  deepened  on  the   doctor's 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         267 

face.  The  idea  thus  suggested  to  his  mind  was 
terrible. 

"And  supposing  I  had  loved  her,  thinking 
you  were  dead,  what  then  ?  Do  you, know  what 
you  would  have  done  ? "  he  said  sternly. 

"  I  think  you  would  have  been  very  happy," 
replied  Hetty,  simply.  "  I  have  always  thought 
of  you  as  being  probably  very  happy." 

Dr.  Eben  groaned  aloud. 

"Oh,  Hetty!  Hetty!  How  could  God  have 
let  you  think  such  thoughts  ?  Hetty !  "  he  ex 
claimed  suddenly,  with  the  manner  of  one  who 
has  taken  a  new  resolve :  "  Hetty,  listen.  We 
must  not  talk  about  this  terrible  past.  It  is 
impossible  for  me  to  be  just  to  you.  If  any 
other  woman  had  done  what  you  have  done,  I 
should  say  she  must  be  mad,  or  else  wicked." 

"  I  think  I  was  mad,"  interrupted  Hetty.  "  It 
seems  so  to  me  now.  But,  indeed,  Eben,  oh, 
indeed,  I  thought  at  the  time  it  was  right." 

"  I  know  you  did,  my  darling,"  replied  the 
doctor.  "  I  believe  it  fully  ;  but  for  all  that  I 
cannot  be  just  to  you,  when  I  think  of  it.  We 
must  put  it  away  from  us  for  ever.  We  are  old 
now,  and  have  perhaps  only  a  few  years  to  live 
together." 

Here  Hetty  interrupted  him  with  a  sudden 
cry  of  dismay  : 


268         HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  Oh  !  oh !  I  forgot  every  thing  but  you.  I 
ought  to  have  been  at  Dr.  Macgowan's  an  hour 
ago.  Indeed,  Eben,  I  must  go  this  minute.  Do 
not  try  to  Jiinder  me.  There  is  a  patient  there 
who  is  so  ill.  I  fear  he  will  not  live  through 
the  day.  Oh,  how  selfish  of  me  to  have  for 
gotten  him  for  a  single  moment !  But  how  can 
I  leave  you  !  How  can  I  leave  you ! " 

As  she  spoke,  she  moved  hastily  about  the 
room,  making  her  preparations  to  go.  Her  hus 
band  did  not  attempt  to  delay  her.  A  strange 
feeling  was  creeping  over  him,  that,  by  Hetty's 
removal  of  herself  from  him,  by  her  new  life, 
her  new  name,  new  duties,  she  had  really  ceased 
to  be  his.  He  felt  weak  and  helpless :  the  shock 
had  been  too  great,  and  he  was  not  strong. 
When  Hetty  was  ready,  he  said : 

"  Shall  I  walk  with  you,  Hetty  ? " 

She  hesitated.  She  feared  to  be  seen  talking 
in  an  excited  way  with  this  stranger :  she 
dreaded  to  lose  her  husband  out  of  her  sight. 

"  Oh,  Eben  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  I  do  not  know 
what  to  do.  I  cannot  bear  to  let  you  go  from 
me  for  a  moment.  How  shall  I  get  through 
this  day !  I  will  not  go  to  Dr.  Macgowan's  any 
more.  I  will  get  Sister  Catharine  from  the  con 
vent  to  come  and  take  my  place  at  once.  Yes, 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         269 

come  with  me.  We  will  walk  together,  but  we 
must  not  talk,  Eben." 

"  No,"  said  her  husband. 

He  understood  and  shared  her  feeling.  In 
silence  they  took  their  way  through  the  out 
skirts  of  the  town.  Constantly  they  stole  fur 
tive  looks  at  each  othef*;  Hetty  noting  with 
sorrow  the  lines  which  grief .  and  ill-health  had 
made  in  the  doctor's  face  ;  he  thinking  to  him 
self : 

"  Surely  it  is  a  miracle  that  age  and  white 
hair  should  make  a  woman  more  beautiful." 

But  it  was  not  the  age,  the  white  hair  :  it  was 
the  transfiguration  of  years  of  self-sacrifice  and 
ministering  to  others. 

"  Hetty,"  said  Dr.  Eben,  as  they  drew  near 
Dr.  Macgowan's  gate,  "what  is  this  name  by 
which  the  village  people  call  you  ?  I  heard  it 
on  everybody's  lips,  but  I  could  not  make  it 
out." 

Hetty  colored.  "  It  is  French  for  Aunt 
Hibba,"  she  replied.  "  They  speak  it  as  if  it 
were  one  word,  '  Tantibba.'  " 

"  But  there  was  more  to  it,"  said  her  husband. 
"  '  Bo  Tantibba,'  they  called  you." 

"  Oh,  that  means  merely  '  Good  Aunt  Hibba,'  " 
she  said  confusedly.  "  You  see  some  of  them 


270         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

think  I  have  been  good  to  them  ;  that 's  all :  but 
usually  they  call  me  only  '  Tantibba.'  " 

"Why  did  you  call  yourself  'Hibba'?"  he 
said. 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Hetty.  "  It  came  into 
my  head." 

"  Don't  they  know  your  last  name  ? "  asked 
her  husband,  earnestly. 

"Oh  !  "  said  Hetty,  "  I  changed  that  too." 

Dr.  Eben  stopped  short :  his  face  grew  stern. 

"  Hetty,"  he  said,  "  do  you  mean  to  tell  me 
that  you  have  put  my  very  name  away  from  you 
all  these  years  ? " 

Tears  came  to  Hetty's  eyes. 

"  Why,  Eben,"  she  replied,  "  what  else  could  I 
do  ?  It  would  have  been  absurd  to  keep  my 
name.  Any  day  it  might  have  been  recognized. 
Don't  you  see  ? " 

"Yes,  I  see,"  answered  Dr.  Eben,  bitterly. 
"  You  are  no  longer  mine,  even  by  name." 

Hetty's  tears  fell.  She  was  dumb  before  all 
resentful  words,  all  passionate  outbreaks,  from 
her  husband  now.  All  she  could  say  was  : 

"  Oh,  Eben  !  Eben  !  "  Sometimes  she  added 
piteously :  "  I  never  meant  to  do  wrong ;  at 
least,  no  wrong  to  you.  I  thought  if  there  were 
wrong,  it  would  be  only  to  myself,  and  on  my 
own  head." 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         2JI 

When  they  parted,  Dr.  Eben  said  : 
"  At  what  hour  are  you  free,  Hetty  ?  " 
"  At  six,"  she  replied.     "  Will  you  wait  for  me 
at  the  house  ?     Do  not  come  here." 

"  Very  well,"  he  answered  ;  and,  making  a  for 
mal  salutation  as  to  a  stranger,  he  turned  away. 


2/2          HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 


XVI. 

\\  7ITH  a  heavy  heart,  in  midst  of  all  her 
joy,  Hetty  went  about  her  duties :  vague 
fears  oppressed  her.  What  would  Eben  do  now  ? 
What  had  he  meant  when  he  said :  "  You  are 
no  longer  mine,  even  in  name  "  ? 

Now  that  Hetty  perceived  that  she  had  been 
wrong  in  leaving  him  ;  that,  instead  of  provid 
ing,  as  she  had  hoped  she  should,  for  his  greater 
happiness,  she  had  only  plunged  him  into  incon 
solable  grief,  —  her  one  desire  was  to  atone  for 
it ;  to  return  to  him ;  to  be  to  him,  if  possible, 
more  than  she  had  ever  been.  But  great  timid 
ity  and  apprehension  filled  her  breast.  He 
seemed  to  be  angry  with  her.  Would  he  forgive 
her  ?  Would  he  take  her  home  ?  Had  she  for 
feited  her  right  to  go  home  ?  Hour  after  hour, 
as  the  weary  day  went  on,  she  tortured  herself 
with  these  thoughts.  Wistfully  her  patients 
watched  her  face.  It  was  impossible  for  her 
to  conceal  her  preoccupation  and  anxiety.  At 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         273 

last  the  slow  sun  sank  behind  the  fir-trees,  and 
brought  her  hour  of  release.  Seeking  Dr.  Mac- 
gowan,  she  told  him  that  she  would  send  Sister 
Catharine  on  the  next  day  "  to  take  my  place 
for  the  present,  perhaps  altogether,"  said  Hetty. 

"  Good  heavens  !  Mrs.  Smailli !  "  exclaimed 
the  doctor.  "  What  is  the  matter  ?  Are  you  ill  ? 
You  shall  have  a  rest ;  but  we  can't  give  you 
up." 

"  No,  I  am  not  ill,"  replied  Hetty,  "  but  circum 
stances  have  occurred  which  make  it  impossible 
for  me  to  say  what  my  plans  will  be  now." 

"  What  is  it  ?  Bless  my  soul,  what  shall  we 
do  ? "  said  Dr.  Macgowan,  looking  very  much 
vexed.  "  Really,  Mrs.  Smailli,  you  can't  give  up 
your  post  in  this  way." 

The  doctor  forgot  himself  in  his  dismay. 

"  I  would  not  leave  it,  if  there  were  no  one  to 
fill  it,"  replied  Hetty,  gently  ;  "  but  Sister  Cath 
arine  is  a  better  nurse  than  I  am.  She  will 
more  than  fill  my  place." 

"  Pshaw  !  Mrs.  Smailli,"  ejaculated  the  doctor. 
"  She  can't  hold  a  candle  to  you.  Is  it  any 
thing  about  the  salary  which  is  taking  you 
away  ?  I  will  raise  it :  you  shajl  fix  your  own 
price." 

Flushing  red  with  shame,  Hetty  said  hotly : 
18 


2/4        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  I  have  never  worked  for  the  money,  Dr. 
Macgowan;  only  for  enough  for  my  living. 
Money  has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Good- 
morning." 

"  That 's  just  what  comes  of  depending  on 
women,"  growled  Dr.  Macgowan.  "  They  're 
all  alike ;  no  stability  to  'em !  What  under 
heaven  can  it  be  ?  She 's  surely  too  old  to  have 
got  any  idea  of  marrying  into  her  head.  I  '11  go 
and  see  Father  Antoine,  and  see  if  he  can't  in 
fluence  her." 

But  when  Dr.  Macgowan,  a  few  days  later, 
reached  Father  Antoine's  cottage,  he  was  met  by 
news  which  slew  on  the  instant  all  his  hopes  of 
ever  seeing  Mrs.  Hibba  Smailli  in  his  House 
again  as  a  nurse.  Hetty  and  her  husband  had 
spent  the  previous  evening  with  Father  Antoine, 
and  had  laid  their  case  fully  before  him.  Hetty 
had  given  him  permission  to  tell  all  the  facts 
to  Dr.  Macgowan,  under  the  strictest  pledges 
of  secrecy. 

"  Ton  my  word !  'pon  my  word ! "  said  the 
dottor,  "the  most  extraordinary  thing  I  ever 
heard  of!  Who  'd  have  thought  that  calm,  clear 
headed  woman  would  ever  have  committed  such 
a  folly  ?  It 's  a  case  of  monomania ;  a  real  mo 
nomania,  Father  Antoine  ;  never  can  be  sure  of 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         2?$ 

such  a  brain 's  that ;  may  take  another,  any 
day ;  clear  case  of  monomania ;  most  uncomfort 
able  !*  uncomfortable  !  so  embarrassing !  don't 
you  know  ?  eh  ?  What 's  going  to  be  done  now  ? 
How  does  the  man  take  it?  Is  he  a  gentleman  ? 
Hang  me,  if  I  wouldn't  let  a  woman  stay  where 
she  was,  that  had  served  me  such  a  trick  !  " 

Father  Antoine  laughed  a  low  pleasant  laugh. 

"And  that  would  be  by  howjrmch  you  had 
loved  her,  is  it  not  ? "  he  said.  "  He  is  a  physi 
cian  also,  the  good  Aunt's  husband,  and  he  un 
derstands.  He  will  take  her  with  him  ;  and,  if 
he  did  not,  she  would  die  ;  for,  now  that  it  is  plain 
to  her,  how  grievously  she  hath  caused  him  to 
sorrow,  her  love  is  like  a  fever  till  she  can 
make  amends  for  all." 

"  Amends ! "  growled  Dr.  Macgowan,  "  that 's 
just  like  a  woman  too.  Amends  !  I  'd  like  to 
know  what  amends  there  can  be  for  such  a 
scandal,  such  a  disgrace :  'pon  my  word  she  must 
have  been  mad  ;  that's' the  only  way  of  account 
ing  for  it." 

"  It  is  not  that  there  will  be  scandal,"  replied 
Father  Antoine.  "  I  am  to  marry  them  in  the 
chapel,  and  there  is  no  one  in  all  the  wide  world, 
except  to  you  and  to  me,  that  it  will  be  known 
that  they  have  been  husband  and  wife  before." 


276         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  Eh  !  What !  Married  again  !  "  exclaimed 
Dr.  Macgowan.  "  Well,  that 's  like  a  woman 
too.  Why,  what  damned  nonsense!  If  she  was 
ever  his  wife,  she 's  his  wife  now,  isn't  she  ? 
I  shouldn't  think  you'd  lend  yourself,  Father 
Antoine,  to  any  such  transaction  as  that." 

"  Gently,  gently ! "  replied  Father  Antoine  : 
"  rail  not  so  at  womankind.  It  is  she  who 
wishes  to  go  with  him  at  once  ;  and  who  says  as 
thou,  that  she  is  still  his  wife  :  but  it  is  he  who 
will  not.  He  says  that  she  hath  for  ten  years 
borne  a  name  other  than  his ;  that  in  her  own 
country  she  hath  been  ten  years  mourned  for  as 
dead ;  that  he  hath  by  process  of  law,  on  account 
of  her  death,  inherited  and  sold  all  the  estate 
that  she  did  own." 

"  Rich,  was  she  rich  !  "  interrupted  'Dr.  Mac 
gowan.  "Well,  'pon  my  word,  it's  the  most 
extraordinary  thing  I  ever  did  hear  of :  never 
could  have  happened  in  England,  sir,  never!" 

"  I  know  not  if  it  were  a  large  estate,"  con 
tinued  Father  Antoine,  "  it  would  be  no  differ 
ence  :  if  it  had  been  millions  she  would  have  left 
it  and  come  away.  She  was  full  of  renunciation. 
Ah !  but  she  must  be  beloved  of  the  Virgin." 

"  So  you  are  really  going  to  marry  them  over 
again,  are  you?"  broke  in  the  impatient  doctor. 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         2// 

"  I  have  said  that  I  would,"  replied  Father 
Antoine,  "  and  it  is  great  joy  to  me :  neither 
should  it  seem  strange  to  you.  Your  church 
doth  not  recognize  the  sacrament  of  baptism, 
when  it  has  been  performed  by  unconsecrated 
hands  of  dissenters  :  you  do  rebaptize  all  converts 
from  those  sects.  So  our  church  does  not  rec 
ognize  the  sacrament  of  marriage,  when  per 
formed  by  any  one  outside  of  its  own  priesthood. 
I  shall  with  true  gladness  of  heart  administer  the 
holy  sacrament  of  marriage  to  these  two  so 
strangely  separated,  and  so  strangely  brought 
together.  They  have  borne  ten  years  of  penance 
for  whatever  of  sin  had  gone  before :  the  church 
will  bless  them  now." 

"  Hem,"  said  Dr.  Macgowan,  gruffly,  unable 
to  controvert  the  logic  of  Father  Antoine's 
position  in  regard  to  the  sacraments  ;  "  that  is  all 
right  from  your  point  of  view  :  but  what  do  they 
make  of  it ;  I  don't  suppose  they  admit  that  their 
first  marriage  was  invalid,  do  they  ? " 

Dr.  Macgowan  was  in  the  worst  of  humors. 
He  was  about  to  lose  a  nurse  who  had  been  to 
him  for  ten  years,  like  his  right  hand ;  and  he 
was  utterly  discomfited  and  confused  in  all  his 
confirmed  impressions  of  her  character,  by  these 
startling  revelatio'ns  of  her  history.  He  would 


2/8        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

not  have  been  a  Briton  if  these  untoward  com 
binations  of  events  had  not  made  him  surly. 

"  Nay,  nay  !  "  said  Father  Antoine,  placably. 
"  Not  so.  It  is  only  the  husband  ;  and  he  has  but 
one  thing  to  say :  that  she  who  was  his  wife  died 
to  him,  to  her  country,  to  her  friends,  to  the 
law.  There  is  even  in  her  village  a  beautiful  and 
high  monument  of  marble  which  sets  forth  all  the 
recountal  of  her  death.  She  would  go  back  to 
that  country  with  him,  and  confess  to  every  man 
the  thing  she  had  done.  She  prayed  him  that 
he  would  take  her.  But  he  will  not.  He  says 
it  would  be  shame  ;  and  the  name  of  his  wife 
that  died  shall  never  be  shamed.  It  is  a  nar 
row  strait  for  a  man  who  loves  a  woman.  I 
cannot  say  that  it  is  clear  to  me  what  my  own 
will  would  be  in  such  a  case.  I  am  much  moved 
by  each  when  I  hear  them  talk  of  it.  Ah,  but 
she  has  the  grand  honesty !  Thou  shouldst 
have  heard  her  cry  out  when  he  said  that  to  con 
fess  all  would  be  a  shame. 

"'  Nay,  nay ! '  cried  she, '  to  conceal  is  a  shame.' 
"  '  Ay  ! '  replied  her  husband,  '  but  thou  hast 
thought  it  no  shame  to  conceal  thyself  for  these 
ten  years,  and  to  lie  about  thy  name.'  He 
speaketh  with  a  great  anger  to  her  at  times,  spite 
of  his  love. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         279 

" '  Ah,'  she  answered  him,  in  a  voice  which  nigh 
set  me  to  weeping :  '  Ah,  my  husband,  I  did 
think  it  shame :  but  I  bore  it,  for  sake  of  my 
love  to  thee  ;  and  now  that  I  know  I  was  wrong, 
all  the  more  do  I  long  to  confess  all,  both  that 
and  this,  and  to  stand  forgiven  or  unforgiven,  as 
I  may,  clear  in  the  eyes  of  all  who  ever  knew  me.' 

"  But  he  will  not,  and  I  have  counselled  her  to 
pray  him  no  more.  For  he  has  already  endured 
heavy  things  at  her  hands  ;  and,  if  this  one  thing 
be  to  her  a  grievous  burden,  all  the  more  doth  it 
show  her  love,  if  she  accept  it  and  bear  it  to  the 
end." 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Dr.  Macgowan,  somewhat 
wearied  with  Father  Antoine's  sentiments  and 
emotions,  "  I  have  lost  the  best  nurse  I  ever 
had,  or  shall  have.  I  '11  say  that  much  for  her  ; 
but  I  can't  help  feeling  that  there  was  some 
thing  wrong  in  her  brain  somewhere,  which 
might  have  cropped  out  again  any  day.  Most 
extraordinary  !  most  extraordinary !  "  And  Dr. 
Macgowan  walked  away  with  a  certain  lofty, 
indifferent  air,  which  English  people  so  well 
understand,  of  washing  one's  hands  of  matters 
generally. 

There  had,  indeed,  been  a  sore  struggle  be 
tween  Hetty  and  her  husband  on  this  matter  of 


280         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

their  being  remarried  by  Father  Antoine.  When 
Dr.  Eben  first  said  to  her :  "  And  now,  what  are 
we  to  do,  Hetty  ? "  she  looked  at  him  in  an 
agony  of  terror  and  gasped  : 

"Why,  Eben,  there  is  only  one  thing  for  us  to 
do ;  don't  we  belong  to  each  other  ?  don't  you 
love  me  ?  don't  you  mean  to  take  me  home  with 
you  ? " 

"  Would  you  go  home  with  me,  Hetty  ? "  he 
asked  emphatically  ;  "  go  back  to  Welbury  ?  let 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the  county,  nay, 
in  the  State,  know  that  all  my  grief  for  you  had 
been  worse  than  needless,  that  I  had  been  a  de 
serted  husband  for  ten  years,  and  that  you  had 
been  living  under  an  assumed  name  all  that 
time  ?  Would  you  do  this  ? " 

Hetty's  face  paled.  "  What  else  is  there  to 
do  ?  "  she  said. 

He  continued  : 

"  Could  you  bear  to  have  your  name,  your 
father's  name,  my  name,  all  dragged  into  noto 
riety,  all  tarnished  by  being  linked  with  this 
monstrous  tale  of  a  woman  who  fled — for  no 
reason  whatever  —  from  her  home,  friends,  hus 
band,  and  hid  herself,  and  was  found  only  by 
an  accident  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Eben  !  spare  me,"  moaned  Hetty. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         281 

"  I  can't  spare  you  now,  Hetty,"  he  answered. 
"You  must  look  the  thing  in  the  face.  I  have 
been  looking  it  in  the  face  ever  since  the  first 
hour  in  which  I  found  you.  What  are  we  to 
do  ? " 

"  I  will  stay  on  here  if  you  think  it  best,"  said 
Hetty.  "  If  you  will  be  happier  so.  Nobody 
need  ever  know  that  I  am  alive." 

Doctor  Eben  threw  his  arms  around  her. 
"  Leave  you  here  !  Why,  Hetty,  will  you  never 
understand  "that  I  love  you  ?  "  he  exclaimed  ; 
"love  you,  love  you,  would  no  more  leave  you 
than  I  would  kill  myself  ? " 

"  But  what  is  there,  then,  that  we  can  do  ? " 
asked  Hetty. 

~"  Be  married  again  here,  as  if  we  had  never 
been  married !  You  under  your  new  name,"  re 
plied  Doctor  Eben  rapidly. 

Hetty's  face  expressed  absolute  horror.  "  We 
—  you  and  I  —  married  again  !  Why  Eben,  it 
would  be  a  mockery,"  she  exclaimed. 

"  Not  so  much  a  mockery,"  her  husband  re 
torted,  "  as  every  thing  that  I  have  done,  and 
every  thing  that  you  have  done  for  ten  whole 
years." 

"  Oh,  Eben  !  I  don't  think  it  would  be  right," 
cried  Hetty.  "  It  would  be  a  lie." 


282        HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"A  lie!"  ejaculated  her  husband,  scornfully. 
Poor  Hetty !  The  bitter  harvest  of  her  wrong 
deed  was  garnered  for  her,  poured  upon  her 
head  at  every  turn,  by  the  pitilessness  of  events. 
Inexorable  seasons,  surer  than  any  other  seed 
time  and  harvest,  are  those  uncalendared 
seasons  in  which  souls  sow  and  reap  with 
meek  patience. 

Hetty  replied : 

"  I  know  I  have  lived,  acted,  told  a  lie,  Eben. 
Don't  taunt  me  with  it.  How  can  you,  if  you 
really  believe  all  I  have  told  you  of  the  reasons 
which  led  me  to  it  ?  " 

"  My  Hetty,"  said  Dr.  Eben,  "  I  don't 
taunt  you  with  it.  I  do  believe  all  you  have 
told  me.  I  do  know  that  you  did  it  for  love  of 
me,  monstrous  though  it  sounds  to  say  so. 
But  when  you  refuse  now  to  do  the  only  thing 
which  seems  to  me  possible  to  be  done  to  re 
pair  the  mistake,  and  say  your  reason  for  not 
doing  it  is  that  it  would  be  a  lie,  how  can  I 
help  pointing  back  to  the  long  ten  years'  lie 
you  have  lived,  acted,  told  ?  If  your  love  for  me 
bore  you  up  through  that  lie,  it  can  bear  you  up 
through  this." 

"  Shall  we  never  go  home,  Eben  ? "  asked 
Hetty  sadly. 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         283 

"  To  Welbury  ?  to  New  England  ?  never  !  " 
replied  her  husband  with  a  terrible  emphasis. 
"  Never  will  I  take  you  there  to  draw  down  upon 
our  heads  all  the  intolerable  shame,  and  gossiping 
talk  which  would  follow.  I  tell  you,  Hetty,  you 
are  dead  !  I  am  shielding  your  name,  the  name 
of  my  dead  wife  !  You  don't  seem  to  compre 
hend  in  the  least  that  you  have  been  dead  for  ten 
years.  You  talk  as  if  it  would  be  nothing  more 
to  explain  your  reappearance  than  if  you  had 
been  away  somewhere  for  a  visit  longer  than  you 
intended." 

The  longer  they  discussed  the  subject,  the 
more  vehement  Dr.  Eben  grew,  and  the 
feebler  grew  Hetty's  opposition.  She  could 
not  gainsay  his  arguments.  She  had  nothing 
to  oppose  .to  them,  except  her  wifely  instinct 
that  the  old  bond  and  ceremony  were  by  impli 
cation  desecrated  in  assuming  a  second  :  "  But 
what  right  have  I  to  fall  back  on  that  old  bond," 
thought  poor  Hetty,  wringing  her  hands  as  the 
burden  of  her  long,  sad  ten  years'  mistake 
weighed  upon  her. 

Not  until  Hetty  had  yielded  this  point  was 
there  any  real  joy  between  her  and  her  husband. 
As  soon  as  it  was  yielded,  his  happiness  began 
to  grow  and  increase,  like  a  plant  in  spring-time. 


284         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

"  Now  you  are  mine  again  !  Now  we  will  be 
happy !  Life  and  the  world  are  before  us  ! "  he 
exclaimed. 

"  But  where  shall  we  live,  Eben  ?  "  asked  the 
practical  Hetty. 

"  Live !  live ! "  he  cried,  like  a  boy;  "  live  any 
where,  so  that  we  live  together ! " 

"There  is  always  plenty  to  do,  everywhere," 
said  Hetty,  reflectively :  "  we  should  not  have  to 
be  idle." 

Dr.  Eben  looked  at  her  with  mingled  admiration 
and  anger. 

"  Hetty  ! "  he  exclaimed,  "  I  wish  you  'd  leave 
off  '  doing,'  for  a  while.  All  our  misery  came  of 
that.  At  any  rate,  don't  ever  try  to  'do'  any 
thing  for  me  again  as  long  as  you  live !  I  '11  look 
out  for  my  own  happiness,  the  rest  of  the  time, 
if  you  please." 

His  healing  had  begun  when  he  could  make 
an  affectionate  jest,  like  this  ;  but  healing  would 
come  far  slower  to  Hetty  than  to  him.  Complete 
healing  could  perhaps  never  come.  Remorse 
could  never  wholly  be  banished  from  her  heart. 

When  it  had  once  been  settled  that  the  mar 
riage  should  take  place,  there  seemed  no  reason 
for  deferring  it ;  no  reason,  except  that  Father 
Antoine's  carnations  were  for  some  cause  or 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         285 

other,  not  yet  in  full  bloom,  and  both  he  and 
Marie  were  much  discontented  at  their  tardiness. 
However,  the  weather  grew  suddenly  hot,  with 
sharp  showers  in  the  afternoons,  and  both  the 
carnations  and  the  Ayrshire  roses  flowered  out 
by  scores  every  mornrhg,  until  even  Marie  was 
satisfied  there  would  be  enough.  There  was  no 
tint  of  Ayrshire  rose  which  could  not  be  found 
in  Father  Antoine's  garden,  —  white,  pink,  deep 
red,  purple :  the  bushes  grew  like  '  trees,  and 
made  almost  a  thicket,  along  the  western  boundary 
of  the  garden.  Early  on  the  morning  of  Hetty's 
wedding,  Marie  carried  heaped  basketfuls  of  these 
roses,  into  the  chapel,  and  covered  the  altar  with 
them.  Pierre  Michaud,  now  a  fine  stalwart  fel 
low  of  twenty-one,  just  married  to  that  little 
sister  of  Jean  Cochot,  about  whom  he  had  once 
told  so  big  a  lie,  had  begged  for  the  privilege  of 
adorning  the  rest  of  the  chapel.  For  two  days, 
he  and  Jean,  his  brother-in-law,  had  worked  in 
the  forests,  cutting  down  young  trees  of  fir,  bal 
sam,  and  dogwood.  The  balsams  were  full  of 
small  cones  of  a  brilliant  purple  color ;  and  the 
dogwoods  were  waving  with  showy  white  flow 
ers.  Pierre  set  each  tree  in  a  box  of  moist 
earth,  so  that  it  looked  as  thriving  and  fresh  as 
it  had  done  in  the  forest ;  first,  a  fir,  and  then 


286         HETTY' >S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

a  dogwood,  all  the  way  from  the  door  to  the 
altar,  reached  the  gay  and  fragrant  wall.  Great 
masses  of  Linnea  vines,  in  full  bloom,  hung  on  the 
walls,  and  big  vases  of  Father  Antoine's  carna 
tions  stood  in  the  niches,  with  the  wax  saints. 
The  delicate  odor  of  the  roses,  the  Linnea 
blossoms,  and  carnations,  blended  with  the  spicy 
scent  of  the  firs,  and  made  a  fragrance  as  strong 
as  if  it  had  been  distilled  from  centuries  of  sum 
mer.  The  villagers  had  been  told  by  Father  An- 
toine,  that  this  stranger  who  was  to  marry  their 
good  "  Tantibba,"  was  one  who  had  known  and 
loved  her  for  twenty  years,  and  who  had  been 
seeking  her  vainly  all  these  years  that  she  had 
lived  in  St.  Mary's.  The  tale  struck  a  warm 
chord  in  the  breasts  of  the  affectionate  and  en 
thusiastic  people.  The  whole  village  was  in  great 
joy,  both  for  love  of  "  Tantibba,"  and  for  the  love 
of  romance,  so  natural  to  the  French  heart.  Every 
one  who  had  a  flower  in  blossom  picked  it,  or 
brought  the  plant  to  place  in  the  chapel.  Every 
man,  woman,  and  child  in  the  town,  dressed  as 
for  a  ftte,  was  in  the  chapel,  and  praying  for 
"Tantibba,"  long  before  the  hour  for  the  cere 
mony.  When  Eben  and  Hetty  entered  the  door, 
the  fragrance,  the  waving  flowers,  the  murmur 
ing  crowd,  unnerved  Hetty.  She  had  not  been 
prepared  for  this. 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         287 

"  Oh,  Eben  ! "  she  whispered,  and,  halting  for  a 
moment,  clung  tighter  to  his  arm.  He  turned  a 
look  of  affectionate  pride  upon  her,  and,  pressing 
her  hand,  led  her  on.  Father  Antoine's  face 
glowed  with  loving  satisfaction  as  he  pronounced 
the  words  so  solemn  to  him,  so  significant  to 
them.  As  for  Marie,  she  could  hardly  keep  quiet 
on  her  knees :  her  silver  necklace  fairly  rattled 
on  her  shoulders  with  her  excitement. 

"  Ah,  but  she  looks  like  an  angel !  may  the 
saints  keep  her,"  she  muttered  ;  "  but  what  will 
comfort  M'sieur  Antoine  for  the  loss  of  her, 
when  she  is  gone  ? " 

After  the  ceremony  was  over,  all  the  people 
walked  with  the  bride  and  bridegroom  to  the 
inn,  where  the  diligence  was  waiting  in  which 
they  were  to  begin  their  journey  ;  the  same  old 
vehicle  in  which  Hetty  had  come  ten  years  be 
fore  alone  to  St.  Mary's,  and  Doctor  Eben  had 
come  a  few  weeks  ago  alone  to  St.  Mary's,  "  not 
knowing  the  things  which  should  befall  him 
there." 

It  was  an  incongruous  old  vehicle  for  a  wed 
ding  journey  ;  and  the  flowers  at  the  ancient 
horses'  heads,  and  the  knots  of  green  at  the 
cracked  windows,  would  have  made  one  laugh 
who  had  no  interest  in  the  meaning  of  the  deco- 


288         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

rations.  But  it  was  the  only  four-wheeled 
vehicle  in  St.  Mary's,  and  to  these  simple  vil 
lagers'  way  of  thinking,  there  was  nothing  un 
becoming  in  Tantibba's  going  away  in  it  with 
her  husband. 

"  Farewell  to  thee  !  Farewell  to  thee  !  The 
saints  keep  thee,  Bo  Tantibba  and  thy  hus 
band  !  and  thy  husband  ! "  rose  from  scores  of 
voices  as  the  diligence  moved  slowly  away. 

Dr.  Macgowan,  who  had  somewhat  reluc 
tantly  persuaded  himself  to  be  present  at  the 
wedding,  and  had  walked  stiffly  in  the  merry 
procession  from  the  chapel  to  the  inn,  stood  on 
the  inn  steps,  and  raised  his  hat  in  a  dignified 
manner  for  a  second.  Father  Antoine  stood  bare 
headed  by  his  side,  waving  a  large  white  hand 
kerchief,  and  trying  to  think  only  of  Hetty's 
happiness,  not  at  all  of  his  own  and  the  village's 
loss.  As  the  shouts  of  the  people  continued  to 
ring  on  the  air,  Dr.  Macgowan  turned  slowly 
to  Father  Antoine. 

"  Most  extraordinary  scene  ! "  he  said,  "  'pon 
my  word,  most  extraordinary  scene  ;  never  could 
happen  in  England,  sir,  never."  "  Which  is 
perfectly  true  ;  worse  luck  for  England,"  Father 
Antoine  might  have  replied  ;  but  did  not.  A 
few  of  the  younger  men  and  maidens  ran  for  a 


HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.         289 

short  distance  by  the  side  of  the  diligence,  and 
threw  flowers  into  the  windows. 

"  Thou  wilt  return  !  thou  wilt  return ! "  they 
cried.  "  Say  thou  wilt  return  ! " 

"Yes,  God  willing,  I  will  return,"  answered 
Hetty,  bending  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  tak 
ing  loving  farewell  looks  of  them  all.  "  We  will 
surely  return."  And  as  the  last  face  disappeared 
from  sight,  and  the  last  merry  voice  died  away, 
she  turned  to  her  husband,  and,  laying  her  hand 
in  his,  said,  "  Why  not,  Eben  ?  Will  not  that 
be  our  best  home,  our  best  happiness,  to  come 
back  and  live  and  die  among  these  simple 
people  ? " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Dr.  Eben,  "  it  will.  Tan- 
tibba,  we  will  come  back." 


And  now  is  told  all  that  I  have  to  tell  of  the 
Strange  History  of  Eben  and  Hetty  Williams. 
If  there  be  any  who  find  the  history  incredible, 
I  have  for  such  a  few  words  more. 

First :  I  myself  have  seen,  in  the  old  grave 
yard  at  Welbury,  the  "  beautiful  and  high  monu 
ment  of  marble,"  of  which  Father  Antoine  spoke 
19 


2QO         HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 

to  Dr.  Macgowan.     It  bears   the  following  in 
scription  : 

"  SACRED  TO  THE  MEMORY 

OF 

HENRIETTA     GUNN, 

BELOVED  WIFE  OF  DR.  EBENEZER  WILLIAMS, 

Who  was  drowned  in  Welbury  Lake." 

The  dates,  which  I  have  my  own  reasons  for 
not  giving,  come  below  ;  and  also  a  verse  of 
the  Bible,  which  I  will  not  quote. 

Second :  I  myself  was  in  Welbury  when 
there  was  brought  to  the  town  by  some  traveller 
a  copy  of  a  Canadian  newspaper,  in  which, 
among  the  marriages,  appeared  this  one  : 

"  In  the  parish  of  St.  Mary's,  Canada,  W.,  by  Rev. 
Antoine  Ladeau,  Mrs.  Hibba  Smailli  to  Dr.  Ebenezer 
Williams." 

The  condition  of  Welbury,  when  this  piece  of 
news  was  fairly  in  circulation  in  the  town,  could 
be  compared  to  nothing  but  the  buzz  of  a  bee 
hive  at  swarming  time.  A  letter  which  was 
received  by  the  Littles,  a  few  days  later,  from 
Dr.  Williams  himself,  did  not  at  first  allay  the 
buzzing.  He  wrote,  simply  :  "  You  will  be  much 
surprised  at  the  slip  which  I  enclose "  (it  was 


HETTY^S  STRANGE  HISTORY. 


291 


the  newspaper  announcement  of  his  marriage). 
"  You  can  hardly  be  more  surprised  than  I  am 
myself ;  but  the  lady  is  one  whom  I  knew  and 
loved  a  great  many  years  ago.  We  are  going 
abroad,  and  shall  probably  remain  there  for  some 
years.  When  I  shall  see  Welbury  again  is  very 
uncertain." 

Thirdly :  Since  neither  of  these  facts  proves 
my  "  Strange  History  "  true,  I  add  one  more. 

I  know  Hetty  Williams. 


THE    "NO    NAME    SERIES." 
"IS    THAT    ALL?" 

"  In  some  respects,  this  is  the  best  of  the  three  volumes  yet  published  of 
this  series.  For,  though  it  does  not  go  so  deep  as  '  Mercy  Philbrick,'  nor 
deal  in  poetic  fancies  like  'Deirdre,'  it  is  better  sustained  on  its  own  surface- 
level  than  either  of  those  romances.  It  is  not  a  romance  at  all  in  fact,  but 
a  pleasing  sketch,  somewhat  too  warmly  colored,  of  New  England  social  life 
in  the  well-bred  tirde  of  a  small  city,  —  say  Hartford.  The  plot  is  simple  and 
direct,  and  the  story  closes  before  it  has  time  to  become  tiresome  in  any 
particular.  .  .  .  The  book  is  all  it  professes  to  be,  and  something  more,  and 
will  certainly  be  popular."  —  Springfield  Republican. 

"  The  new  novel  of  the  '  No  Name  Series '  belongs  of  right  to  the  class  of 
stories  which  men  and  women  take  with  them  on  vacation  journeys.  It  has 
little  plot,  and  what  little  there  is  is  of  the  slightest  kind.  It  is  meant  to  be 
light  and  amusing,  and  is  so  in  a  high  degree.  The  picture  it  gives  of  high 
life  in  a  provincial  city  is  very  fine,  and  a  spirit  of  bantering  which  runs 
through  it  makes  it  extremely  piquant.  As  to  the  authorship  it  is  idle  to 
guess.  We  leave  the  solution  of  the  question  to  the  reader's  own  skill  in 
reading  riddles,  and  commend  the  anonymous  book  to  his  attention  as  one 
which  will  entertain  him  greatly,  whether  or  not  he  can  guess  its  origin." 
—  New  York  Evening  Post. 

"  '  Is  That  All  ? '  third  in  order  of  the  conundrums  at  which  the  Messrs. 
Roberts  have  set  the  world  a-guessing,  perplexes  conjecture  in  a  greater  degree 
than  its  predecessors.  Its  style  recalls  none  of  our  better-known  writers;  and, 
in  spite  of  the  assurance  of  the  publishers,  we  should  be  disposed  to  set  it 
down  as  the  work  of  a  fresh  hand,  were  it  not  for  the  practice  and  finish  which 
it  evinces.  It  is,  to  use  its  own  words,  a  '  very  meringue  of  a  story.'  light, 
crisp,  delicately  flavored  ;  but,  for  all  this  sketchiness,  it  is  full  of  real  character 
and  individuality.  .  .  .  There  is  a  great  deal  of  bright,  natural  conversation, 
some  capital  love-making,  and  both  humor  and  good-humor  in  the  pithy,  half- 
sarcastic  touches  which  glance  here  and  there  on  the  page  like  a  smile  out  of 
quizzical,  friendly  eyes."  —  Boston  Transcript. 

"  It  is  cleverly  constructed  in  plot,  and  has  the  rare  merit  of  seeming  too 
short.  The  style  is  bright  and  animated,  the  characters  are  evidently  drawn 
from  life,  and  spiritedly  drawn  at  that.  The  conversations  are  sparkling  and 
witty,  and  the  work  is  unmistakably  from  the  hand  of  one  thoroughly  ac 
quainted  with  the  world  and  with  good  society.  It  is  the  best  book  of  the 
series,  thus  far,  though,  as  the  author  says,  '  a  very  meringue  of  a  story."  Its 
naturalness  is  not  the  least  of  its  charms.  We  have  been  thoroughly  delighted 
with  it,  and  we  assure  our  readers  that  they  will  derive  equal  pleasure  and  satis 
faction  from  its  perusal.  The  name  of  the  author  has  not  yet  transpired,  but 
we  hazard  the  guess  that  it  is  a  woman.  —  n.>t  owing  to  any  effeminacy  or 
weakness  in  the  style,  but  from  the  fact  th^t  no  one  but  a  woman  would  write 
so  saucily  about  the  gentler  sex.  We  advice  everybody  to  read  this  clever  little 
story."  —  Saturday  Gazette. 

In  one  volume.  10m<>.    Cloth.    Oilt  and  red-lettered.    Sl.OO. 

Our  publications  are  to  be  had  of  all  Booksellers.  When  not  to 
be  found,  send  directly  to 

ROBERTS   BROTHERS,  Publishers,  Boston. 


THE  "NO   NAME   SERIES.' 


KISMET.    A  Nile  Novel 

Opinions,  generous  tributes  to  genius,  by  well-known  authors 
whose  names  are  anonymous. 

"Well,  I  have  read  'Kismet,'  and  it  is  certainly  very  remarkable.  The 
story  is  interesting,  —  any  well-told  love  story  is,  you  know,  —  but  the  book  itself  is 
a  great  deal  more  so.  Descriptively  and  sentimentally,  —  I  use  the  word  with 
entire  respect,  —  it  is,  in  spots,  fairly  exquisite.  It  seems  to  me  all  glowing  and 
overflowing  with  what  the  French  call  beautt  du  diable.  .  .  .  The  conversa 
tions  are  very  clever,  and  the  wit  is  often  astonishingly  like  the  wit  of  an  accom 
plished  man  of  the  world.  One  thing  which  seems  to  me  to  show  promise  — 
great  promise,  if  you  will  —  for  the  future  is  that  the  author  can  not  only  repro 
duce  the  conversation  of  one  brilliant  man,  but  can  make  two  men  talk  together  aj 
if  they  were  men,  —  not  women  in  manly  clothes." 

"  It  is  a  charming  book.  I  have  read  it  twice,  and  looked  it  over  again,  and 
I  wish  I  had  it  all  new  to  sit  up  with  to-night  It  is  so  fresh  and  sweet  and  inno 
cent  and  joyous,  the  dialogue  is  so  natural  and  bright,  the  characters  so  keenly 
edged,  and  the  descriptions  so  poetic.  I  don't  know  when  I  have  enjoyed 
any  thing  more,  — never  since  I  went  sailing  up  the  Nile  with  Harriet  Martineau. 
...  You  must  give  the  author  love  and  greeting  from  one  of  the  fraternity. 
The  hand  that  gives  us  this  pleasure  will  give  us  plenty  more  of  an  improving 
quality  every  year,  I  think." 

"  '  Kismet'  is  indeed  a  delightful  story,  the  best  of  the  series  undoubtedly." 

"  If  '  Kismet*  is  the  first  work  of  a  young  lady,  as  reported,  it  shows  a  great 
gift  of  language,  and  powers  of  description  and  of  insight  into  character  and  life 
quite  uncommon.  ...  Of  the  whole  series  so  far,  I  think  '  Mercy  Philbrick's 
Choice '  is  the  best,  because  it  has,  beside  literary  merit,  some  moral  tone  and 
vigor.  Still  there  are  capabilities  in  the  writer  of  '  Kismet'  even  higher  than  in 
that  of  the  writer  of  '  Mercy  Philbrick's  Choice.'  " 

"I  liked  it  extremely.  It  is  the  best  in  the  series  so  far,  except  in  con 
struction,  in  which  'Is  That  All?'  slight  as  it  is,  seems  to  me  superior. 
'  Kismet '  is  winning  golden  opinions  everywhere.  I  have  nothing  but  praises 
for  it,  and  have  nothing  but  praise  to  give  it" 

"  I  have  read  '  Kismet '  once,  and  mean  to  read  it  again.  It  is  thor&ughly 
charming,  and  will  be  a  success." 

One  volume,  bound  in  cardinal  red  and  black.    Price  Sl.OO. 


Our  publications  are  to  be  had  of  all  booksellers.    When  not 
to  be  found,  send  directly  to 

ROBERTS   BROTHERS,    Publishers,  Boston. 


